Report: Iron 3-3 Aldershot Town

The Iron drew 3-3 against Aldershot Town at Glanford Park on Saturday afternoon.

United made one change from Tuesday’s game against Oldham. Reagan Ogle was suspended so Jai Rowe replaced him in the side.

Jacob Buttefield got the game underway and the Iron threatened immediately. Joe Nuttall found himself with the opportunity to whip a cross into the area in the opening minutes. He directed the ball into the area but it was cleared away quickly by the Aldershot defence.

In the second minute of the game the visitors took the lead though. Ody Alfa found himself with space on the right-hand-flank and he drove forward into the Iron penalty area. From around 15 yards out he unleashed a shot towards the back of the United net.

United responded almost immediately and grabbed an equaliser in the eighth minute. Rob Apter found himself with space and time on the edge of the Aldershot area. He was swarmed by three Town defenders but he quickly got the ball out of his feet and curled a left-footed effort towards the top-left corner of Luca Ashby-Hammond’s goal. His strike was precise and powerful, beating the keeper and found the top corner to put the Iron level.

Scunthorpe grabbed the lead minutes later after the ball wasn’t cleared by Aldershot after an Iron corner. The corner was whipped in by Butterfield and Nuttall was the one to get his head to the ball first. A combination of Ashby-Hammond and a Town defender prevented the shot going in. However, the ball rebounded back out to the penalty spot and there was a mix-up between the Aldershot defence and Rowe nipped in and slotted the ball into an empty net to give the Iron the lead in the game.

The visitors tried to press on after the second Iron goal and they launched attacks. Cross after cross was fired into the home side’s penalty area but every time the ball was either cleared or blocked by the Iron. Jacob Butterfield, Andrew Boyce and George Taft all put their bodies on the line to prevent the away side grabbing an equaliser.

Aldershot almost got a leveller when Ryan Glover won the ball back from Butterfield and directed a shot goalwards. He tried to fire a right-footed effort into the bottom-left corner but the ball went marginally wide.

United earnt themselves a penalty minutes later when Alfa brought down Mason O’Malley inside the area. The Iron left-back was clean through on goal and was wiped out by Alfa. Nuttall was the player to step up and he calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner and this gave United breathing space in the game. Ashby-Hammond guessed the correct way but the power took it beyond him and into the net.

Caolan Lavery created another chance in the game. He beat his man on the right-flank and managed to whip in a low cross into the six-yard area. Nuttall rushed in to try and meet the ball. He was a matter of inches away from being able to get there first and slot the ball home but Ashby-Hammond was alert and reacted the quicker of the two.

Aldershot got the second period underway and they tried to impose a threat early on. They were rewarded with a second goal. Former Iron defender Cordner had the freedom to release a shot. He took on the shot from distance and drilled his effort into the bottom-left corner. The 25-yard effort breathed life back into the visitors.

O’Malley and Ntlhe prevented an equaliser a minute after Aldershot’s second goal. The ball was cut back to an onrushing Town player and it looked as if he had the whole goal to aim at. The ball was met and was heading beyond Dewhurst but O’Malley and Ntlhe threw themselves at the ball to get a block in and prevent a third goal.

Inih Effiong could have put the visitors level but he missed their best chance of the whole game. A pinpoint cross into the area found the feet of Effiong. He was unmarked and found himself ten-yards from goal. The striker tried to take a touch but it was a heavy one and the ball crept into Dewhurst’s grasp. 

Eventually, after much pressure, the visitors grabbed their equaliser through substitute Justin Amaluzor. Another strike from outside the Scunthorpe area found its way into the back of the net. A powerful, low strike (which was similar to Cordner’s) was unleashed by the Aldershot substitute, levelling the game.

That momentum was almost reversed when Lavery picked out Alfie Beestin at the back post. The United midfield allowed the ball to bounce and was gearing up to shoot. However, an Aldershot defender rushed to him and got a toe to the ball first. If Beestin had got there first he would have surely put the Iron ahead.

A cross into the area by Ollie Harfield found the head of the powerful Effiong. He directed his header goalward and it had the power but not the direction and it was straight at Dewhurst. It was a comfortable save for him to make in the end.

Around the edge of the Iron area, the away side's Frank Vincent drilled an effort towards goal but it blazed past the upright and out for a goal kick.

United pressured Aldershot in the closing minutes and Beestin slotted Nuttall through. He found himself ten-yards-out and decided to hit the shot first time. He opted to go for the low route but a Town defender slid and blocked the shot and the ball rolled out for a corner. Nothing came from the resultant corner but a few minutes later Tom Pugh was set up on the edge of the area. The ball bounced up nicely for him to strike on the volley. He took on the task but Ashby-Hammond was grateful as the shot was directly at him and it was a routine save to make. This was the final big chance of the game and it ended 3-3.

IRON: Dewhurst, O’Malley, Boyce (26’ Pugh), Beestin, Nuttall, Rowe, Lavery (78’ Wilson), Taft, Butterfield (81’ Whitehouse), Ntlhe, Apter.

IRON SUBS NOT USED: Foster, Young.

ALDERSHOT TOWN: Ashby-Hammond, Davies, Harfield, Cordner, Vincent, Effiong, Whelan, Jordan, Bettache (46’ Amaluzor), Alfa (75’ Amartey), Glover (92’ Panayiotou).

ALDERSHOT TOWN SUBS NOT USED: Fisher, Phillips.

ATTENDANCE: 3,083.