Scunthorpe United FC

United made three changes from the side that faced Hartlepool United last week, as Jai Rowe, league debutant Oliver Lobley and Jack Moore-Billam came in for Mason O'Malley, Dan Gallimore and Harvey Cribb.

 

Within the first three minutes, Moore-Billam twice stole possession, while Cameron Wilson also got neatly into space with a drag back, but the through ball was intercepted. At the other end, Aaron Collins comes up against Ryan Delaney, but the Iron defender did enough to win a goal kick.

 

With five minutes gone, the hosts broke down the right, with skipper for the day Ethan Young getting in the way of the cross to concede a corner. From the corner, the ball found Sam Finley on the edge of the box, with his low effort rolled past Owen Foster’s right post.

 

Not long after, Trevor Clarke fizzed a low effort wide from the edge of the area, while Young then stepped across and made a challenge after a cut-back.

 

Wilson broke into space down the right side of the Rovers area in the 15th minute and looked to work a low cross to Nuttall, but Rovers cleared for a corner.

 

From it, the ball fell to Beestin, but the referee blew for a free-kick to the hosts.

 

The hosts took the lead on 18 minutes as a left-wing cross was inadvertently turned in by Lobley as he looked to clear.

 

Soon after, they made it two as Connor Taylor headed in at the back post following more pressure from the hosts.

 

On 26 minutes, Foster turned a free-kick from Antony Evans past the post, for a corner which the Iron dealt with.

 

A minute later, Lobley was replaced by Mason O'Malley.

 

The Iron managed to stem the flow of Rovers attacks, and they next came close in the 39th minute when Foster denied Elliott Anderson's low, driven effort.

 

Scunthorpe had a couple of openings of their own as the half went on, Nuttall drove down the left but was thwarted by a Rovers defender, before Jai Rowe clipped the ball into him and he was challenged before pulling the trigger after bringing the ball down.

 

Finley Shrimpton also saw a powerful shot from 25 yards saved by the home goalkeeper James Belshaw.

 

Anderson flashed an effort wide for Rovers at the start of the second half, while Luke Thomas' effort was stopped by the feet of Foster as he drove down the right of the area.

 

The home side added a third on 52 minutes when Aaron Collins swept in from the edge of the area.

 

Straight after the goal, Liam Feeney came on for Moore-Billam for the Iron's second change of the afternoon.

 

On 59 minutes, Beestin brought the ball down on the edge of the Pirates' penalty area and sent a low shot just wide of Belshaw's bottom right-hand post.

 

At the other end, Finley came close to adding a fourth, but show a low strike narrowly wide after being teed up by Anderson.

 

In the 62nd minute, after pressure down the left side, the ball was played to Evans just inside the Iron area, who prodded in the fourth.

 

Then, Evans was denied by Foster with a left-footed shot, as they looked to add a fifth.

 

With 71 minutes gone, Anthony Grant came on for Shrimpton. Then, four minutes after, Foster denied Evans again with an effort from the edge of the area.

 

However, in the 76th minute, Evans made no mistake, curling in a free-kick from 25 yards.

 

They scored a sixth on 79 minutes when Collins swept home from close range as the ball came in from the right, and they then added a seventh in the 86th minute when Anderson struck.

Play was hal

 

BRISTOL ROVERS: Belshaw, Connolly, Finley, Thomas (Grant, 90), Collins, E Anderson, Taylor, H Anderson, T Clarke (Nicholson, 70), Evans (L Clarke, 90), Whelan.

 

BRISTOL ROVERS SUBS NOT USED: Jaakkola, Loft, Rodman, Saunders.

 

IRON: Foster, Delaney, Beestin, Nuttall, Rowe, Wilson, Shrimpton (Grant, 71), Lobley (O'Malley, 27), Moore-Billam (Feeney, 53), Young, Matheson.