The Iron returned to their home battle grounds this evening when they welcomed relegation candidates Needham Market to the Attis Arena.
The fixture was to be Scunthorpe’s third consecutive home fixture and manager Andy Butler would be hoping to continue his sides recent form by making it just one loss in United’s last 12 fixtures.
After starting the two previous fixtures with the same starting XI, Scunthorpe were forced into a singly alteration in the form of a was a major blow for United as club captain Michael Clunan missed the fixture through a sustained ankle injury and was replaced by electric winger Mo Fadera who was awarded his first start in claret and blue.
After a tactical change of ends conducted by the Marketmen, United got proceedings underway attacking toward the Britcon Stand and immediately put their opponents under an onslaught of pressure.
The Scunthorpe faithful wouldn’t be made to wait long for the opening goal of the night and a sublime strike from Kian Scales would cause the Attis Arena to erupt. After an initial shot from Cal Roberts rebounded back into the path of Scales, the midfielder needed no second invitation to lash the ball towards the target, the effort was caught so sweetly that it left goalkeeper Josh Blunkell routed to the spot as it rifled past him for 1-0.
As the half continued the Iron remained in charge of an overall scrappy encounter, this was until a half-chance would appear out of nowhere for the visitors through star striker Seth Chambers. It was a long ball that found the run of the forward in behind but knowing he didn’t have the legs to carry the ball Chambers tried an ambitious long ranged shot, the effort lacked any real conviction resulting in the ball trickling well wide of Ross Fitzsimons’ goal.
The next opportunity of the fixture would fall for Scunthorpe after some exquisite trickery from Fadera down the left-flank to win a free-kick. Roberts whipped the ball into the danger area where a queue of United bodies were waiting to nod the ball goalwards, it would be Danny Whitehall who connected with the cross and flicked the ball towards the back post where Andrew Boyce narrowly failed to tap the ball home on full stretch.
United would find themselves on the back foot for the final few minutes of first half action and would be relived to make it into the break with their lead intact after a number of crucial blocks from Boyce and Oli Rose to protect their advantage.
After the restart the game would return to the lethargic manner of the first period and Scunthorpe were crying out for a second goal to steady their lead and relive the home supports worries.
The closest United would come to increasing their advantage in the opening stages of the second half would be a golden opportunity for Maxim Kouogun. It was a deep yet high hung cross from Alfie Beestin that found the head of Kouogun and despite the centre-half’s best efforts to direct his header down and past Blunkett he could only steer the ball past the near post from a matter of yards.
The visitors would respond to this Scunthorpe chance with an ambitcious effort of their own. It was a ricocheting ball that would allow a long-ranged strike to be let fly by Jacob Lay as the Needham Market midfielder came steaming onto the loose ball and drilled a low shot at Fitzsimons that the keeper traced wide of his near post.
On the 70th minute mark the Iron would be given the boost they desperately required as Needham would be reduced to ten men courtesy of an incredibly late challenge from winger Luke Ingram who was sent for an early bath for his lunge.
Now with a man advantage, Scunthorpe began to make major inroads into their opponents final third and nearly reaped the rewards through a spectacular solo run from Cal Roberts. It was an immense save from Blunkett that denied the inform Roberts as the winger wondered inside by beating two players and produced a diving save from the goalkeeper who plucked the ball out of the top corner.
Roberts wouldn’t have to wait long for his goal however after Alfie Beestin created his goal in style, it was the midfielder’s surging run forward that allowed him to slot Roberts into the penalty area and after beating a further two Needham Market defenders he rocketed a truly special strike beyond Blunkell to put the result to bed.
This would be the final action of the game as Scunthorpe made it three home wins in a row with a by no means classic performance but a professional one at that to see of a spirited Needham Market side that had come into the encounter flying high following their result at the weekend.
IRON: Fitzsimons, Kouogun (Evans, 60), Boyce, Beestin, Whitehall (Beck, 85), Roberts (Kelly, 87), Rowley, Scales (Law, 79), Fadera (Ubaezuonu, 55), Denton, Rose.
