REPORT: WARRINGTON 0-2 IRON

After an extended 11 day absence, the Iron returned to league action this afternoon when they travelled west to face off with the relegation threatened Warrington Town.

Scunthorpe came into the fixture having lost just one of their previous 12 fixtures and were hoping to extend their impressive run of form as the 2024-25 season approaches its business end.

With regard to United’s match day squad, Scunthorpe returned to the starting XI that defeated South Shields two weeks prior by making a single alteration to their previous team. This change would come in the form of the return of club skipper Michael Clunan, as he regained his position in the side after recovering from previous ankle injury.

United got the game underway at the Cal.delivery Stadium attacking towards their traveling support. In the early stages it was made almost immediately obvious that if there was to be one aspect of the game to hinder either side it was to be the pitch as the ball was often seen getting stuck on the dry surface.

With the ball getting constantly turning over to start proceedings neither side were able to create any chances of note. Things would remain in this stalemate until the Yellows would craft an opportunity through forward Elliott Morris, after a neat pass from Jay Harris to release the winger Morris stung a powerful strike at goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons who comfortably palmed away the shot to keep the scores level.

As the half progressed, Scunthorpe would manufacture opportunities of their own with the first of which coming from a corner ball. It was a long-winded delivery from captain Clunan that was aimed towards the crowd of bodies in the six-yard box, out of the crowd peeled Danny Whitehall at the near post who managed to get over the ball and flick an effort towards goal that nestled just over the crossbar.

As half-time drew nearer at the once Cantilever Park, United would find themselves on the fortunate side of a refereeing decision when Andrew Boyce was forced to pull down Morris in what appeared to be inside the penalty area. In a shock choice, Ashley Clarke opted for a Warrington free-kick rather than a penalty and only brandished a yellow card to Boyce in the process, much to the Iron’s relief.

In the last action of the half Warrington goalkeeper Dan Atherton would be forced into his usual trademark diving stop as he was called into action by Alfie Beestin. It was a low driven cross from Tyler Denton that popped up into the path of Beestin, who from a tight angle hooked the ball towards Atherton who was forced into a brilliant save to tip the ball to safety.

Following the restart after the interval, Scunthorpe set about wearing down their tiring opponents with a number of high intensity attacks. The first of those came courtesy of some liquid football down the left-flank from Beestin and Kian Scales that allowed the latter to slide a cross towards the back stick where Roberts was waiting to try and get a touch that would steer the ball home, however even at full stretch the Scunthorpe man couldn’t direct the ball goalwards.

As the two teams battled to try and find the opening goal, gaps began to appear in behind both defences. In the space of a minute the Iron would go from tracking back frantically to grabbing the opener with a swift counter.

It was Fitzsimons who caught a Warrington cross under pressure and rolled the ball out to Roberts in the middle of the park, after a quick turn the former Newcastle man instinctively split the yellow wall with a killer pass to Scales down the left who effortlessly slotted the ball into the feet of Whitehall in the area. After receiving the ball under his feet, it can safely be said that Whitehall was the calmest man in the stadium when he sat down Atherton with a fake shot and lifted the ball into the roof of the net for 1-0.

Despite the deadlock being broken the encounter remained visibly open as the prospect of another goal seemed likely give circumstance of their being just 20 minutes remaining.

The hosts would come extremely close to finding the equaliser they so desperately desired on the 80th minute mark when striker Joe Rodwell-Grant retrieved possession inside Scunthorpe’s final third and whipped an audacious curling effort from 25-yards, the shot moved so viciously that it had Fitzsimons well beaten and the ball would’ve been destined for the top corner if not for the intervention of the post that caused the ball to ricochet back into play before being cleared.

With 82 minutes on the clock the inspired substitution of Mo Fadera would seal the three points for the Iron when he chased a long ball and broke in behind the Warrington defence, once in a foot race with the covering defender the Gambian’s lightning quick pace was never in doubt as he touched the ball past the onrushing Atherton and placed the ball into the open net for his first professional goal.

This was to be the final action of the fixture as the late substitute and introduction of defender Will Evans helped Scunthorpe wind down the clock and dominate defensively. This would eventually lead to the referee sounding his full-time whistle meaning that United made it five unbeaten in the Vanarama National League North and another clean sheet to add to the ever growing tally to top it off.

IRON: Fitzsimons, Kouogun, Boyce, Clunan, Beestin (Beck, 57), Whitehall (Fadera, 74), Roberts ( Evans, 88), Rowley (Williams, 84), Scales, Denton (Kelly, 84), Rose.