The Iron suffered a 3-1 defeat at Stevenage on Saturday.
Devarn Green opened the scoring in the fifth minute with his first goal for the club, but Stevenage soon turned the score on it's head through a brace from Charlie Carter. Aramide Oteh then added a killer third goal in second half added time.
The Iron made one change going into the game, with Abo Eisa replacing the injured Myles Hippolyte in the starting eleven.
With two minutes played, Jacob Bedeau and Jake Taylor dealt with a left-sided free-kick into the penalty area after Green was adjudged to have fouled, despite the home player looking to have lost his footing.
The lead was taken five minutes in, and Eisa took the ball on the left, cut onto his right foot and found Green. Jamie Cumming saved, but the ball went through his legs and over the line, as indicated by the assistant referee.
Three minutes later, Taylor got free on the left after Loft won the aerial battle. He looked to play the square ball but it was cleared as far as Alex Gilliead who was dispossessed as he looked to pull the trigger.
The 11th minute saw a leveller for the hosts as Carter planted his header into the net following a cross from the left side.
United looked to retake the lead and two minutes later there was a neat move as Alfie Beestin won the header and fed Ryan Loft. Green was slipped down the right but Loft was hauled down as he looked to get in the box with Green’s cross gathered by Cumming.
The 16th minute saw patient build-up from the Iron as Taylor, Mason O’Malley and Eisa exchange passes. Eisa’s corner was deflected out for a corner though.
Then, a penalty shout was waved away for United as Taylor went down as he battled towards the ball following a cross from O’Malley. A goal kick was given.
On 19 minutes, Gilliead broke free with the ball and was cynically chopped down by Jack Smith, but it resulted in just a talking-to from the referee.
Three minutes later, Carter got his and Stevenage’s second of the afternoon as he got the ball on the right side of the area and bent a left-footed shot across goal and into the net.
With 32 minutes gone there was a chance for the Iron which started with a reckless tackle on Beestin. Loft teed up Gilliead who saw his shot blocked before Loft hooked the ball back into the box.
Six minutes later, the Iron pressed high and won the ball back with Beestin. Taylor fed the ball wide to Eisa who almost returned it to him with the low cross, but the hosts hooked clear. United then won a corner but the ball was cleared.
There were three minutes of added time in the first half and in the first of those there was a free-kick to the Iron on the right side as Arthur Read handled, despite trying to hold his face. O’Malley’s cross was a good one and it took a touch for a corner.
From the resulting set-play, Bedeau was challenging, but Cumming came out to punch clear.
There was an Iron substitution early in the second period as Beestin was replaced by John McAtee, and soon after that Lewis Spence came on for Green.
The 61st minute saw superb play from Gilliead as he stormed down the right before his ball across the goal almost resulted in an own goal, but the ball spun over the bar for a corner.
A couple of balls into the box were then cleared before Tyler Cordner headed into space inside the box, with Loft not able to connect to the chance.
Soon after, there was pressure by the Iron as Gilliead worked well down the right side. Two balls into the box were cleared before O’Malley’s from the left was also headed clear.
The next chance in a game of few came the way of home substitute Oteh, who had a go from range on 72 minutes, with Howard making the save.
Scunthorpe had one cleared off the line in the 86th minute when McAtee and Eisa combined down the left from Howard’s kick. The ball was played across to Clarke and somehow his shot was cleared away from danger, when it looked it might have been going in.
Taylor was replaced by Kenan Dünnwald-Turan in the closing minutes as the Iron looked to freshen up their attack.
There were six minutes of stoppage time given and the home side sealed the victory in the second of those as Oteh blasted in from close range following a counter-attack.
United return to action next Saturday when they host Bradford City (3pm kick-off).
STEVENAGE: Cummings, Coker, Cuthbert, Carter (Oteh, 68), Newton (Prosser, 90), Hutton (James-Wildin, 35), Vancooten, Read, Smith, Pett (Vincelot, 90), Aitchison (List, 68).
STEVENAGE SUBS NOT USED: Johnson, Marsh.
IRON: Howard, Clarke, Bedeau, Gilliead, Loft, Eisa, Green (Spence, 59), Beestin (McAtee, 50), Cordner, Taylor (Dünnwald-Turan, 89), O'Malley.
IRON SUBS NOT USED: Watson, Brown, Rowe, Hornshaw.