Report: Iron 0-3 Harrogate Town

Scunthorpe suffered a 3-0 defeat against Harrogate Town at the Sands Venue Stadium.

After the opening 10 minutes, Harrogate’s Luke Armstrong tried to find the near corner from a George Thomson cross but his effort went wide of the post.

Moments later, the Iron went on a rampant counter-attack with Harvey Cribb putting through Tyrese Sinclair who found himself one-on-one with Mark Oxley where the keeper produced a brilliant save to stop Scunthorpe taking the lead with the ball rolling out for a corner.

The ensuing corner was floated into the centre of the box as Jai Rowe found himself free on the penalty spot but he couldn’t keep his shot down as it went over the bar. 

Sam Burns tried his luck at goal when he received the ball on the edge of the box from a cleared free-kick but he dragged his shot wide.

With a third of the game being played, Burns lofted a ball over the top of the Harrogate defence as Joe Nuttall made a break behind the defence with the home side being again faced with a one-on-one with Nuttall’s shot saved and put out for a corner.

Harrogate took the lead after 22 minutes when a whipped Thomson corner found itself into the back of the net as a cluster of players caused confusion leading the ball into the Iron net.

Thomson almost put the away side further ahead as the game entered the final five minutes of the first half when Harrogate broke through the Scunthorpe defence and marched on to a two-versus-one but Thomson couldn’t take advantage of the situation as his shot went wide and out for a goal-kick.

After the break, Scunthorpe came out firing when Nuttall picked up the ball on the corner of the box. He found Hayden Hackney, after holding the ball up, to allow play to develop as Hackney placed the ball onto his left foot and fired at goal, but his shot rose above the bar and out for a goal-kick.

10 minutes into the second half, Sinclair found himself in space, with the midfielder driving at goal as Harrogate's defenders backed away. Sinclair struck a left-footed shot on goal as he approached the edge of the box, with Oxley making a routine save.

Armstrong fired a low shot at goal with Watson stretching but the shot drifted wide.  

Harrogate extended their lead after Jack Diamond found the back of the net in the 63rd minute. 

Calum Kavanagh almost made it three for Harrogate but Iron no.1 Rory Watson made an outstanding save to keep the attack at bay.

Armstrong immediately picked up the loose ball from Watson's save, as the striker brought the ball down with his chest and launched another shot Watson’s way, with the keeper on-hand to make another world-class save.

Harrogate made it 3-0 with nine minutes left to play, through centre-back Will Smith after his headed effort found its way into the back of the net through a corner.

IRON: Watson, Delaney, Taft, Nuttall, Rowe, Sinclair, Feeney, Hackney (Gallimore, 82), Burns (Pyke, 63), Lewis, Cribb (Beestin, 63).

IRON SUBS NOT USED: Foster, Bunn, Baker, Young. 

HARROGATE: Oxley, Fallowfield, Smith, Burrell, Thomson, Kavanagh, Sheron, Pattison (Kerry, 61), Muldoon, Diamond, Armstrong.

HARROGATE SUBS NOT USED: Cracknell, Beck, Austerfield, McArdle, Power.

ATTENDANCE: 2,317 (201 away).