United grabbed a 4-0 win away at Pontefract in the FA Youth Cup second qualifying round.
The game got underway and within the first minute Rob Adamson unleashed a long range effort which curled and it looked to be heading in. The ball struck Oxborough’s right-hand post and rebounded back into play. It was an early warning sign for the Iron.
United got their first chance of the game when they earnt a corner. Nat Wallace delivered into the box but no Iron player could get there and the ball was cleared by the hosts.
Harvey Cribb was the next player with a chance early on in the game. A well-worked free kick was met by Cribb on the edge of the Pontefract penalty area. He met the ball on the half volley but his effort sailed over the bar.
The Iron continued to press on and they earnt themselves another corner. The danger was once again cleared by the hosts but Harry Charlotte stayed inside the penalty area after a collision. Play carried on and another corner was awarded. Josh Robertson got his head to the resultant corner but the keeper gathered easily.
In the 15th minute, United created the best chance of the game. A precise corner met the run of Harvey Cunningham and he met the ball on the volley. His effort cannoned off the crossbar and the scores stayed level.
Pontefract created a brilliant chance to take the lead in the 20th minute. A downward header set up a half volley, with Oxborough scrambling across his goal quickly. He made the save and the danger was over.
Harrison Poulter almost grabbed the opening goal in the 22nd minute when he was set up by some nice footwork from Nathaniel Wallace. He took the shot from 25 yards out but he couldn’t keep his effort down.
In the 31st minute, Tyrell Sellars-Fleming was denied by the feet of Atherton. The ball rolled back to him and it looked to be an easy finish for the Iron striker. However, a defender slid in to make a last ditch tackle and this stopped a certain goal.
United came close again after they hit the crossbar for a second time. The ball was cut back to Cribb and he saw his shot deflected up and it hit the bar.
The first goal of the game went the way of Scunthorpe, in the 38th minute. Sellars-Fleming squared the ball to Poulter who took a touch before neatly slotting the ball into the corner of the net.
The hosts were the ones to get the second half underway and they were vulnerable within the opening minutes of the half. A quick counter attack nearly earnt the Iron a second goal but there was too much on Poulter’s cross and Sellars-Fleming couldn’t get on the end of it.
The visitors created another great goal scoring chance but Atherton made an excellent double save to deny Scunthorpe a second goal in the game. He first denied Sellars-Fleming before he saved the follow up shot from Charlie Burden-Whittleton.
United doubled their lead in the 63rd minute of the game. Strouther whipped in a cross from the left-hand flank and it curled beyond the keeper and into the back of the net. It took both teams a few seconds to realise his effort had crept in.
Strouther nearly grabbed his second of the game after he took on another shot, as his effort beat the keeper again but this time it was hacked away by a defender and out to safety.
A third goal came along in the 74th minute after a marauding run from Wallace. He managed to beat four players before playing the ball to Sellars-Fleming. The Iron striker laid the ball off to Poulter who slotted the ball home from six-yards-out.
A fourth goal came in the final minutes of the game; Sellars-Fleming got his name on the scoresheet. He beat his man and rolled the ball across the goal and into the corner of the net. That concluded the game.
PONTEFRACT SUBS NOT USED: Holder, Brear, Fisher, Maclean.
IRON U18: Oxborough, Wallace (88’ Dickinson), Strouther, Elliott-bell, Abraham, Cunningham, Burden-Whittleton (81’ Dawson), Cribb (79’ Devine), Poulter, Sellars-Fleming, Robertson.
IRON SUBS NOT USED: Murtagh, Giles, Larkin.