With five consecutive victories in a row and looking to close out a 100 per cent record in December, the Iron came into this evening’s encounter with Gateshead eager to end 2025 successfully, having had one of the best years in the club’s history.
United’s opponents for the fixture were in some torrid form of late, coming into the fixture having lost each of their last ten matches and surely eager to end their barren run as quickly as possible.
Following his side’s Boxing Day victory over Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe first-team manager Andy Butler opted to make one change ahead of the encounter, with the alteration coming in the form of a straight swap to the United attack, with Dec Howe handed the nod to start over Ty Sellars-Fleming, who dropped to the bench, although eager to get on the pitch against his former loanees.
When proceedings were finally set underway at the Attis Arena following a change of ends, Scunthorpe would make a positive start to the fixture with a flurry of early corners that very nearly resulted in the game’s opening goal in the game’s opening minutes.
With Cal Roberts standing over one of these previously mentioned corners, he would whip a sublime cross into the area that landed perfectly onto the head of the untracked Howe on the penalty spot, who managed to send a glancing header towards the target that would’ve surely opened the scores if not for the intervention of Gateshead goalkeeper Tiernan Brooks, who leapt across his goal line to palm the ball clear.
In the minutes that followed this attack, the visitors would begin to venture forward looking for a chance of their own, something they would do through top-scoring forward Kian Adom, who broke the Scunthorpe back line before attempting to chip the ball over the head of the onrushing Rory Mahady. However, the goalkeeper made himself big to deny the effort from close range.
The game’s next action would see the Iron take the lead in the game through Howe, although just for a second, as linesman Conor Ledgeway deemed the Scunthorpe forward offside in the build-up. With a long ball forward into Danny Whitehall’s feet, flicked onwards by the United striker, it would set Howe clean through on goal with just Brooks to beat. Patiently picking his spot, Howe would tuck the ball beneath the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner, only for play to be pulled back by the referee.
With the first half drawing to its end, Scunthorpe would finally forge the breakthrough they were looking for from the penalty spot after Gateshead were reduced to ten men when Roberts’s volley from inside the area was turned away from goal by the hand of defender Max Melbourne, leaving the referee with no choice but to dismiss him. From the resultant penalty, Roberts would seize the ball before confidently dispatching the ball into the top corner for the game’s opening goal.
This would be the final notable action of the first half, with Scunthorpe in complete control of proceedings and looking to expand on their lead in a second period that was to be full of chances for United.
Just five minutes after the restart, the Iron would have a golden chance to add to their advantage when some neat interplay on the edge of the area allowed the ball to be worked in to Howe on the edge. Setting himself for a curling effort, the United’s top goalscorer in all competitions would whip the ball towards the far post, with his effort narrowly evading the bottom corner on its way out for a goal kick.
As the half progressed at the Attis Arena, Scunthorpe were still in complete control of the encounter and never looked like conceding. However, United were finding it very difficult to break down the Gateshead defence with seemingly every chance blocked by the Heed back line.
Approaching the hour mark with nothing to show for their attacking persistence, the Iron would threaten again through a neatly manufactured move that would see Whitehall dispatched into the area by Roberts, before backheeling possession into the path of Westbrooke, who could only send his effort straight into Brooks’s chest with the Irishman turning the effort away from goal.
After even more blocked shots, Scunthorpe’s advantage remained at 1-0 with just ten minutes remaining, although at this stage of the game, Gateshead would mount one final charge up the pitch, enjoying a successful period of dominance in the final third. Still, it would come to nothing as the hosts’ defence stood firm to protect their clean sheet.
With mere minutes remaining and added time already indicated, there would be time for one final chance for Scunthorpe from a dead-ball area. With two clinical free-kick takers in Roberts and Whitehall standing over the ball, it would be the latter who stepped up to the plate, taking advantage of a poorly placed Heed wall by whipping the ball around it and into the bottom corner to finally double United’s lead and all but confirm the three points.
The final whistle was soon to follow from referee Matthew Scholes, presenting Scunthorpe with another victory in the Enterprise National League and with several results going their way around them, United were put within just four points of the top of the table.
IRON: Mahady, Horton, Boyce, Howe (Sellars-Fleming, 69), Whitehall, Roberts, Rowley, Ewing, Starbuck, Westbrooke, Denton.
IRON UNUSED SUBS: Jones, Belehouan, Ubaezuonu, Brogan, Scales, Barrows.
ATTENDANCE: 5,012 (82 away)
REFEREE: Matthew Scholes
