Report: Iron U23s 0-1 Salford City U23s

An early penalty decided it as United's Under-23s were beaten 1-0 by their Salford City counterparts in the Central League on Tuesday.

The early stages saw Salford get a cross in from the left which was cleared for a corner by Charlie Barks. The subsequent set-play was sent in from the left, and Kelsey Mooney headed away.

Following a quiet opening which was mostly played out in the midfield, the visiting team were awarded a spot-kick following a foul on Luke Burgess in the area,

The penalty was duly converted by Brandon Thomas-Asante, with goalkeeper Tom Collins guessing the right way (to his left) but unable to reach the low shot.

The away side almost added a second from close range through Momodou Touray following a scramble in the area.

With 18 minutes gone, Harry Jessop's probing down the left won a corner, which Lewis Butroid delivered from that side but nobody could connect.

Soon after, the away team got to the ball bouncing on the edge of the area, after it was only partly cleared by the Iron, but Touray drilled wide.

Halfway through the opening 45 minutes, Collins got down well to parry away another shot by Touray (which was then cleared) after a Salford free-kick on halfway was played short and a cross was sent in from the right.

Shortly after, Jordan Hallam and Raynner Silva looked to lead a break away through the middle with the latter brought down. Nobody could get on the end of Tom Pugh's free-kick taken from just over halfway though.

With 27 minutes gone, a shot was sent in by Salford's Bruno Andrade from the right side of the area but Collins got down well to save.

Then, at the other end, receiving a cross-field ball, the visiting team's left-back Tyler Golden surged forward to the left side of the box before firing a shot across, but high and wide of Collins' goal.

After 33 minutes, Butroid sent a free-kick in from deep, looking for Jai Rowe, but Salford got it clear. Within a minute, at the Iron's end, Collins superbly tipped away for a corner as a powerful shot was fired goalwards from the edge of the area.

The subsequent Salford set-piece was sent in but United cleared, and then a left-wing cross was subsequently swung into the area but Rowe cleared away the danger.

With 40 minutes played, Hallam and Pugh linked up down the right, before the ball came to skipper George Hornshaw, who sent a cross in from deep but saw the ball go out for a goal kick.

Two minutes later, Hallam probed in Salford's half and sent a ball into the area looking for Mooney, but the away goalkeeper got to it first.

Then, just before the break, Butroid and Silva linked up on the edge of the Salford area before the latter's effort cleared the crossbar.

The Iron came close to a leveller early in the second half as Butroid's free-kick was sent in from the right flank and Barks coudln't quite get on the end of it, and it went out for a goal kick.

Then, Jessop and Dawson linked up to play in Hallam, whose shot was blocked before Dawson got to the rebound on the edge of the area and saw his low drive saved.

Soon after, Salford had a chance for a second, but Burgess fired high and wide as the ball was played from left to right.

On 57 minutes, a free-kick was won 25 yards from goal by the Iron, which Butroid took but curled over the crossbar.

Six minutes later, there was another chance for the Iron as Butroid's corner from the right was sent in, but Rowe glanced a header just wide of goal.

Soon after, both Jessop and Butroid sent inviting balls in from the left that nobody could get on the end of.

Then, in the 70th minute, Dawson received the ball and attacked down the middle but sent it just wide of goal.

A minute later there was a further Iron attack as Hallam sent the ball low and hard across goal, and Jessop tried to connect, but it drifted wide.

On 73 minutes, Silva worked hard down the right flank to get a low cross in which Dawson and Mooney tried to turn in, but Salford cleared.

Jessop then got the ball on the left flank and cut inside before firing a shot wide of goal.

With 15 minutes left, there was another Iron chance as Dawson got hold of the ball on the edge of the area, using his strength to hold off the defender, and fired just over.

The Iron kept pushing hard looking for a leveller, but Salford, against the run of play, just cracked a shot off the underside of the bar through Andrade after working possession on the right.

By the end of the game, a trio of Under-18s players came on (Oliver Kemp played 30 minutes, winger Cameron Wilson came on for 15 minutes, and Dan Gallimore had ten minutes) but the visitors managed to see the game out for a Central League win.

IRON: Collins, Hornshaw, Butroid, Pugh, Barks, Rowe (Kemp, 60), Mooney, Silva, Dawson (Gallimore, 80), Hallam (Wilson, 75), Jessop.

IRON SUBS NOT USED: Kelsey.

SALFORD: Hayes, Denny, Golden, Fielding, Eastham (Ditchfield, 62), Boyd, M. Touray, Towell (Shepherd, 62), Thomas-Asante, Burgess (McKinney, 62), Andrade.