Following a hard-fought victory over Yeovil Town last weekend, the Iron were back in Enterprise National League action this afternoon to face a Solihull Moors side who came into the encounter in red-hot form. With Scunthorpe in the midst of an impressive spell of form of their own, it was bound to be an enthralling contest between two strong outfits.
With regard to the Scunthorpe team news, there was just a single change for the fixture, as a knock to Alfie Beestin saw him drop to the bench; attacking midfielder Billy Chadwick was elected to take his place in the starting XI. Elsewhere, a first league involvement for versatile defender Harry Shipstone, who started the game amongst the substitutes.
With the kick-off delayed until 3.03pm due to the National League’s Day of Action around their 3UP campaign, it would be the hosts who would get the game underway at Damson Park, starting proceedings confidently with several early attacks.
The closest the Moors would come during this wave of early dominance would see former Iron defender Brad Nicholson’s signature long throw cause problems for United, as he hurled a monstrous throw into the danger area where Alex Whitmore was waiting to head the ball towards the target, forcing a strong reflex stop out of Rory Mahady, who leaped to his left to turn the ball away from goal.
Solihull had started the better of the two sides, with the Iron still getting to grips with the game. However, it wouldn’t take the Moors any more than 15 minutes to break the deadlock, as a floated ball in behind the Scunthorpe defence saw York City loanee Tyrese Sinclair break the offside line and go one-on-one with Mahady. As the Scunthorpe goalkeeper came to meet Sinclair, the winger would take the ball around him and deposit the ball into the empty goal for 1-0.
Looking to respond as quickly as possible to going behind in the game, United would take the front foot, moving the ball around their opponents with relative ease and almost drawing level from a well-worked set-piece routine. As possession fell to Chadwick on the edge of the Moors area, the midfield man chopped onto his stronger right foot and fired a low, driven effort at goal that narrowly evaded Laurie Walker’s near post.
The fixtures next action would see things go from bad to worse for the Iron as the Moors’ press helped turn defence to attack, as a turnover in possession allowed James Clark to break down the right hand side, sending a pinpoint cross to the back post for Bradley Stevenson, who was superbly denied at the first attempt by Mahady, only for the ball to fall back to the Solihull man at close range who prodded it home to double his sides lead.
Now two goals a drift with the first half drawing to a close, Scunthorpe would be handed a lifeline by referee William Davis, as a promising Solihull attack somehow ended up with Stevenson dismissed for a second yellow card, when his tumble in the area was deemed a second bookable offence for simulation.
There was to be no time for United to strike back before the half-time whistle; however, their newly gained advantage was sure to turn the tide of the second half that was still to come.
After a slight tactical tweak from manager Andy Butler for the second period, it was made instantly apparent that United were putting all hands on the offensive pump, flooding forward in numbers from the off.
Scunthorpe’s first chances of the second half’s proceedings would come in quick succession, as in a matter of moments, Andrew Boyce’s first contact header would loop towards the far post, with time standing still as it narrowly evaded the target. This opportunity would be followed by a sublime save from Walker between the Moors’ sticks as he got down low to turn Ty Sellars-Fleming’s goal-bound shot around the post.
With United knocking on the Solihull door for a route back into the game, it looked as though it wasn’t going to be their day, especially when Sellars-Fleming’s expert backheel flick from a Joe Starbuck cross beat the outstretched Walker but was somehow turned away from goal by the recovering Clarke, superbly blocking the ball on the line.
With half an hour remaining in the fixture, the Iron would go close again through Danny Whitehall on this occasion. Collecting possession on the left-hand side, Whitehall would do well to beat his marker and let fly a finessed effort towards the target, catching Walker off guard as it flew towards the target, although it wouldn’t trouble the keeper as it nestled on the roof of the net.
As time progressed, with still no Scunthorpe goal to celebrate, Solihull would put the game to bed with what was seemingly their first chance of the half. After Mahady’s fine stop to deny substitute Emmanuel Sonupe on the counter, the hosts would be awarded a corner, from which they would add a third goal to their tally, as Defender Tyler French climbed highest in the penalty area, nodding the ball past the Scotsman Mahady for 3-0.
From this moment onwards, it was game, set and match at Damson Park, with United condemned to just their second defeat of the league season. Despite this, Scunthorpe would forge one final chance, as Dubem Eze’s well-struck effort from the edge of the area whistled past the post, adding to the fact that it just wasn’t the Iron’s day.
IRON: Mahady, Horton, Boyce, Howe (Eze, 77), Whitehall (Ubaezuonu, 63), Rowley, Sellars-Fleming, Starbuck (Belehouan, 77), Chadwick (Beestin, 63), Westbrooke, Denton.
IRON SUBS: Johnson, Dawson, Shipstone.
ATTENDANCE: 1,545 (409 away)
REFEREE: William Davis
