Report: Iron 0-3 Buxton

The Iron were seen off by a strong-willed Buxton outfit at Glanford Park in a rearranged fixture from the abandoned game three weeks ago.

United’s previous meeting with the Bucks three weeks prior had been abandoned because of large amounts of rain despite the away side leading 2-1 with five minutes of injury time remaining.

Having seen red against Chorley last weekend, centre-back Will Evans was to miss his first game of the campaign and was replaced by vice captain Andrew Boyce, taking the armband. Another change at the back came in the form of Ross Barrows making his first start in Scunthorpe colours for the injured Max Kouogun. The final change to the team was Fin Shrimpton’s long lasting starting run came to an end, as he was replaced by tireless midfielder Kian Scales who returned from his suspension for the fixture.

Diego De Girolamo got the game underway for the visitors the game underway, however he was immediately handed a yellow card, inside the opening 90 seconds, for sending the ball into the Vertikal stand after referee Ben Robinson had awarded a free-kick.

The game’s opening period was made up of half-chances, primarily created by the Iron. The game's first real opportunity was constructed magnificently by Scales who drove into the box before sliding an inch perfect cross toward in-form frontman Danny Elliott who saw his glanced shot go inches away from adding to his five goals so far this campaign.

Soon after, the Iron came close again through natural goalscorer Danny Whitehall. He controlled the ball on the edge of the area neatly, managing to send a low driven effort goalward that had Bucks goalkeeper Max Dearnley well beaten, however his effort cruised just wide of the target. 

From these missed chances the visitors seemed intent to gain a foothold in the contest that had been conducted by the Iron so far. They almost found their way through on 25 minutes as a whipped cross form the right landed on the head of former Eastleigh midfielder Sam Smart. His effort was sent arrowing toward the top corner but Ross Fitzsimons in the United goal leapt acrobatically to his left, clawing the ball away from goal and denying the encounters' certain opener.

The next chance was in the form of an Elliott header, but it this time it was directed to his own goal which nearly resulted in the first goal of the tie. After a corner was hooked away from the Iron area the visitors brought the ball back forward and fired a cross into the box which Elliott went to clear, but his resulting header was sent spiralling back towards Fitzsimons’s goal calling him in to action, though it was caught comfortably.

In the closing action of the first half, it was the Iron who came the closest to taking all the momentum into the break. Whitehall had been causing the Bucks' centre defensive partnership of Luke Shields and Max Hunt all manner of problems and he’d been at it again after he turned to escape from Shiels clutches and unleashed a curling effort that rattled the frame of Dearnley’s goal.

As the whistle sounded to resume play, it was the visitors who came out of the second half stronger and this was confirmed when they took the lead through former Italian youth international Diego De Girolamo, who touched the ball up into the air and immaculately volleyed the ball into Fitzsimons’ top corner from the edge of the area.

The momentum had by now shifted to Buxton, and this was shown soon after the first goal had rippled the net. When loose ball in the Iron area was failed to be cleared the travelling support again cheered as right-back Sam Minihan rattled a pile driver past Fitzsimons to put United 2-0 down with half an hour of action remaining.

United’s attempts to find a goal were halted by the Bucks as they adopted the game plan that they had used in the previous encounter of always having 11 men behind the ball. Numerous half chances had been and gone for the Iron with Shiels and Hunt hurling themselves toward the ball, blocking several efforts that had seemed goal bound.

Defeat for the Iron was confirmed in the additional 11 minutes of injury time as a penalty was awarded by the referee when Boyce tripped over Eoin McKeown for Buxton, but the tackle was seemingly outside the box. To the disappointment of the United players the penalty was awarded and De Girolamo slotted home to seal Scunthorpe’s fate as the final whistle sounded.

IRON: Fitzsimons, Kelly, Boyce, Elliott, Wilson (Smith, 65), Butterfield, Scales, Jenkins (Bennett, 73), Denton (Pugh, 72), Barrows, Whitehall.

IRON SUBS: Shrimpton, Butler.