Report: Iron 1-1 Doncaster Rovers

The Iron came back from a goal behind to draw 1-1 with local rivals Doncaster Rovers in Sky Bet League One on Saturday lunchtime at Glanford Park.

Kyle Wootton notched a header midway through the second half to score his third of the season, and secure a point for United, after Malik Wilks opened the scoring for Doncaster.

Manager Stuart McCall made two changes to the team that were defeated by Gillingham last weekend. Lee Novak returned from a knock sustained in the win against Accrington, and he replaced Kevin van Veen in the starting eleven. Elsewhere, Adam Hammill also came into the side, in place of Tom Pearce. 

After an end-to-end start, the game settled down with ten minutes on the clock. Levi Sutton had the first real opportunity of the game, when he fired a shot over the crossbar from distance after Harrison McGahey teed him up nicely on the edge of the area. 

Jak Alnwick then had to be alert a few minutes later at the other end, when Danny Andrew whipped in a dangerous free-kick from the left, before he was called into action again when Ali Crawford’s long-range effort landed straight into his hands. 

However, with 25 minutes gone, Doncaster did find themselves in the lead. Wilks was the man to score it, after his low left-footed strike inside the area nestled into the bottom corner.

Wootton then almost levelled the score moments after the Iron fell behind, when Adam Hammill delivered a deep cross to the back post, but his headed effort was saved by Marko Marosi. 

Just before half-time, Wootton again looked dangerous, and he had another headed effort at goal, as he tried to loop the ball over Marosi into the far post, but the goalkeeper backtracked across his line to claw the shot away, which kept his side in the lead going into the break.

As the game restarted for the second half, Doncaster came out attacking, John Marquis laid the ball off to Herbie Kane central to the goal, but Cameron Burgess threw his body in the way to deflect the shot.

Wilks then almost added to his tally, but his close-range strike cannoned back of the post, before the ball was sent back in, and Marquis steered his effort over the bar.

The Iron then made their first change, bringing on Olufela Olomola, in place of George Thomas.

With an hour on the clock, Scunthorpe steamed forward in a quick counter attack, which led to Doncaster committing a foul down the left flank. Tony McMahon whipped the free-kick in, and McArdle met it, but Marosi dived to his left to parry the header out. 

From the resulting set play, there was a scramble in the area, before Wootton got his toe to the ball, however, he poked his effort wide.

Then, the Iron were finally rewarded for their second half pressure when Wootton powerfully nodded a McMahon cross into the net on 69 minutes, after initial great awareness from Sutton to take a free-kick quickly. 

Heading into the last ten minutes, Doncaster tried to restore their lead, as substitute Danny Rowe charged up the pitch. He attempted to curl his shot into the far corner after cutting inside on his right-foot, but Alnwick had it covered.  

As for the Iron, they weren’t settling for a point either. Hammill set Olomola free down the right, he then whipped a first time cross in for Wootton, who acrobatically connected with it, but his effort dropped wide of the target.

In the second substitution for Scunthorpe, James Perch then replaced Hammill for the remaining five minutes.

Burgess then had a long-range effort from the edge of the area gathered by Marosi, before Olomola dragged another shot wide not long after. 

With four minutes added on at the end of normal time, neither side could find a decisive winner, with the game ending all square at 1-1. Up next for the Iron is a trip to Oxford United next Saturday.

TEAM LINE-UPS:
Scunthorpe United: Alnwick, McMahon, Ojo, Novak, Thomas (Olomola, 57), Burgess, Sutton, McArdle (C), McGahey, Wootton, Hammill (Perch, 85).
Unused substitutes: Flatt, Webster, van Veen, Pearce, Ben El-Mhanni.  

Doncaster Rovers: Marosi, Andrew, Wilks (Sadlier, 75), Whiteman, Marquis (C), Crawford (Rowe, 80), Anderson, Kane, Blair, Coppinger (Smith, 75), Downing.
Unused substitutes: Jones, Butler, Smith, May, Lewis.

Referee: John Brooks.

Attendance: 6,255.