With Scunthorpe unbeaten in their opening four Enterprise National League fixtures, they would look to continue this miraculous run of form in the late kick-off against Brackley Town this afternoon.
The Saints were a familiar entity to United going into the fixture with both teams’ gaining promotion from the National League North last season, and with Brackley too making a positive start to the season it was bound to be an enthralling encounter.
With the majority of last week’s inflated injury list back in contention for the fixture, Andy Butler opted to reintroduce four players to the starting XI, with Danny Whitehall, Declan Howe, Alfie Beestin and Tyler Denton all cleared to play they were brought in to replace the very four players they were replaced by for the Iron’s previous fixture against FC Halifax Town.
It was the Iron who set proceedings underway at St James Park and in doing so started the fixture rather brightly, using the slippery surface to their advantage Butler’s boys were moving the ball rather well as the hosts struggled to get the ball under their spell.
United would look to use this early period of dominance by adding the early goal they desired, which was almost created when Scunthorpe fashioned a chance from off the left-flank. After holding up the ball inside the Brackley half, Whitehall would look to drop the ball back into the path of Denton in a wide area who instinctively swung a cross into the area. The delivery was pinpoint from the full-back as it found the disguised run of Beestin, allowing the midfielder to connect with the ball and arrow his header marginally wide of the target.
The next highlight of the fixture would come from the hosts who looked to mount a counterattack. It was former Kidderminster Harriers midfielder Zak Brown who conjured his team a chance through some impressive forward play. After driving into the Scunthorpe area from the right-hand side he would advance into the penalty area and fire a low driven effort towards the Scunthorpe goal, as the shot seemed to travel in slow motion toward the net the Iron defence would fortunately escape unscaved as it trickled just past the far post.
As the half progressed it became increasingly obvious that the two sides were locked in a fierce battle in which the first goal would be so important, again the Iron would have a chance to gain the advantage when a remarkable ball in behind the Brackley defence set Howe clean through on goal, as the inform talisman bared down on Jonny Maxted between the hosts posts he would slightly rush his shot and send it wide from a promising position.
In what had been an entertaining first period a chance from range would appear for the Saints when star man Morgan Roberts stood over a free kick from 30 yards. Clearly feeling confident, Roberts would step up to the set-piece and lash a low effort towards the target that nestled just wide of the mark, denying what would’ve been an extraordinary strike.
With half-time rapidly approaching the Iron would have two similar opportunities to gain a valuable opener through Cal Roberts and Howe. After Roberts’s initial strike from the edge of the Brackley box was well saved by Maxted, Howe would try his luck from the same area after chopping in from the left. On this occasion Maxted could only watch as the strikers shot flew past him whilst also managing to miss the target.
When the sides returned to the field of play for what was to be an exciting second period, it was United who asserted some early dominance once again with what seemed like constant attacks on the Brackley goal, although there was nothing to show from it.
After some patient interplay from Scunthorpe to fashion a chance with no more than 10 minutes played in the second half they would force possession into the path of Roberts. 25 yards from goal with space to shift the ball onto his stronger left-boot, Roberts would fire a ferocious, dipping effort at Maxted that caught the keeper off guard as he leapt into action to see the ball clear of the target.
With United still on top in the game the hosts would look to show their own attacking ability when Forward Matt Lowe looked to add to his impressive scoring record against the Iron. After snatching possession inside his opposition’s half, Lowe would look to drive an effort towards Campbell who got down superbly to smother the ball and deny a certain goal.
Following this chance United would capitalise on their pressure with a goal to break the deadlock that came from the spot. After an aerial tussle between Gaz Dean and Danny Whitehall resulted in the latter being hauled to the ground, it left referee Callum Walchester with no choice to award the penalty. From the resultant free hit, Whitehall stepped up and stroked the ball into the bottom corner to give Scunthorpe their well-earned lead.
Almost immediately after Scunthorpe’s goal their task of maintaining the advantage was made massively more difficult when Joe Starbuck, who was also on a yellow, was deemed to have gone down to easily inside the Brackley penalty area and as a result was dismissed for a second offence.
Down to 10 men and with an uphill battle for the remainder of the game, it was all hands to the defensive pump for the Iron who stuck all remaining players behind the ball in an attempt to see out the victory.
The Saints were knocking on the door but were being consistently turned away by Scunthorpe whose defence was standing firm. When Campbell produced a sublime diving save to deny the outstretched boot of Danny Waldron at the back post there was a real sense of belief that United were closing in on a victory, only for it to be undone in agonising fashion at the death.
After a long punt forward from Bailey Hobson was hurled into the United penalty area, the ball was teed up to be headed back across goal by a Brackley man, it would kindly fall into the path of the cunning Waldron who nodded the ball into the net for an equaliser to break Scunthorpe hearts.
Despite the late goal to make it 1-1 it was still another extremely positive performance on the road for the Iron who extended their unbeaten run to five straight games with yet another valiant display.
IRON: Campbell, Evans, Boyce, Howe (Ubaezuonu, 69), Beestin (Belehouan, 79), Whitehall (Scales, 79) , Roberts (Chadwick, 90) ,Rowley, Ewing, Starbuck, Denton.
IRON SUBS: Watson, Eze, Beck.
ATTENDANCE: 1,235 (305 away)
REFEREE: Callum Walchester
