Report: Swindon Town 3-0 Iron

Three second-half goals saw off the Iron at Swindon Town on Saturday.

The Iron went into the game making three changes from the side that beat Walsall at home in midweek, as Alfie Beestin, Joe Nuttall and Luke Matheson came in for Tyrese Sinclair, Rekeil Pyke and Tom Pugh.

With a minute gone, Rory Watson claimed an early low cross from the left from Louie Barry after Harry McKirdy found him in space. The Iron went up the other end and won a throw, with Nuttall looking to break down the right side.

Straight after, the first corner went the Iron’s way as Anthony Grant saw his cross from the right turned behind.

Liam Feeney’s corner was flicked on by Beestin and found Ryan Delaney in space, but his header couldn't generate enough power to trouble Jojo Wollacott in the Swindon goal.

With five minutes played, Watson found Grant, who teed up Manny Onariase. The ball over the top held up in the wind as Sam Burns surged through, but the home defence did well to cushion the ball back to Wollacott.

After nine minutes, there was good play from the Iron as Delaney found Feeney. He then played it to Ross Millen on the left before a lovely clipped pass to Burns. He sent a defender one way before opening up and drawing Wollacott into a save, resulting in a corner.

Feeney’s subsequent set-play was headed clear before Beestin headed back into the area. The ball took another flick on before Wollacott gathered. At the other end, Josh Davison saw a deflected effort saved by Watson.

Not long after, McKirdy received the ball in the area following a low cross from the right, with Delaney blocking the goal bound effort before Matheson headed clear a further cross into the area soon after.

15 minutes in, the hosts' Joe Tomlinson took aim and had a go from 30-yards, with the ball skipping up off the surface and flying wide of Watson’s right-hand post.

Three minutes later, Tomlinson again received the ball, this time on the edge of the box, and took aim with his left foot this time. The effort flew into the stand.

Then, Ben Gladwin twice shaped to shoot from range before having a go from 20-yards, sending his shot across goal and wide.

In the 21st minute, a cross from the right found Barry to meet the ball with a header on goal, but Watson was again equal to the effort and grasped hold of possession.

After 25 minutes, Ellis Iandolo cut onto his right foot on the edge of the box and fired another shot towards goal, with Watson again making a comfortable save.

Almost immediately after, McKirdy was slipped in on the right and powered an effort towards goal, which clipped the top of the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

Scunthorpe had a chance of their own with 26 minutes gone, as Matheson clipped a ball into Burns, who won a header before being flattened by Jake O’Brien, which resulted in a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Like on Tuesday night for Jai Rowe's goal, Millen took the free-kick, bending the effort over the wall and narrowly over the bar, with the ball hitting the top of the net as Wollacott watched on.

On the half hour mark, the hosts broke into the area on the left side, but Watson was out to deny Barry with a tackle, cleanly playing the ball.

On 32 minutes, Nuttall stole possession from Gladwin, who then stumbled and hauled the Iron frontman down, resulting in a free-kick and the first yellow card of the game.

Feeney’s ball into the box was won by Onariase. Beestin picked up the ball and teed up Rowe. His shot was blocked before Onariase sent the ball over the bar and out for a goal kick.

Tomlinson fired in a cross from the left on 37 minutes, with Matheson getting a touch on the ball to help it away from danger, resulting in a corner to the hosts.

Beestin hooked the set-play clear at the near post before Rowe headed clear the second ball into the box. The Iron then broke with Burns, who drove in from the left before seeing his shot blocked.

Then, Watson again denied the hosts as he pushed an effort onto the framework of the goal before Onariase heads clear the potential rebound and Watson punched the loose ball away from danger.

In the 40th minute, McKirdy sent a right-footed curling effort towards goal from 25-yards, with Watson again making the save, as it proved to be the last notable chance of the first half.

With three minutes of the second period played, there was a big chance for the Iron as Rowe stole possession and saw a low driven effort saved before Burns was twice denied in seconds from point blank range by Wollacott.

Four minutes later, there was a quick break from the Iron, started by Watson as he claimed a cross. Millen found Feeney in acres of space before the skipper played Burns in behind and his shot drew a save from Wollacott.

In the 53rd minute, the hosts came forward, with Onariase using his strength to muscle into possession, with Watson claiming the loose ball. Penalty shouts from the crowd were waved away.

Then, Burns latched onto a half-clearance before bending a low effort towards goal from range, which was beaten away by Wollacott.

Swindon took the lead just before the hour mark when McKirdy got in space and drove in on goal before slotting the hosts into the lead.

Straight after, Delaney blocked one effort from range with his face before a second shot got turned behind for a corner following a deflection.

In the 68th minute, Barry went down in the box wanting a penalty following a challenge from Grant, but the referee said no to the protests.

The Iron made their first substitution in the 69th minute when Beestin was replaced by Sinclair.

With 20 minutes of the game left, Swindon added their second in fortuitous fashion as a long range shot from Tomlinson took a massive touch en route to goal by Davison, wrong-footing Watson before bouncing into the net.

Scunthorpe looked to find a way back into the game and Feeney’s right-winged cross was headed away before Millen saw his 20-yard half-volley blocked in the 78th minute.

There was then a double Iron change as Nuttall and Burns were replaced by Pyke and Harry Bunn and the pair combined immediately as they interchanged nicely before the ball was teed up for Rowe. He hit it from 25-yards and drew a fine save from Wollacott, which resulted in a corner that was dealt with by the hosts.

On 85 minutes, the hosts won a penalty following a foul in the area by Onariase, which Davison stepped up to convert.

United return to action next Saturday with a home game against Rochdale (3pm kick-off).

SWINDON: Wollacott, Iandolo, Gladwin (Aguiar, 35), Davison, McKirdy (Mitchell-Lawson, 87), Cooper, O'Brien, Barry (East, 87), Tomlinson, Hunt, Reed.

SWINDON SUBS NOT USED: Odimayo, Baudry, Ward, Parsons.

IRON: Watson, Millen, Delaney, Onariase, Beestin (Sinclair, 69), Nuttall (Bunn, 79), Rowe, Fenney, Burns (Pyke, 79), Matheson, Grant.

IRON SUBS NOT USED: Collins, Taft, Thompson, Lewis.

ATTENDANCE: 9,012 (131 away).