Following a humbling Easter Monday defeat at the hands of Gateshead last time out in the Enterprise National League, the Iron were looking to reinforce their hopes of holding onto their fifth place position in the standings when they welcomed an almost all but relegated Brackley Town, whose fate of a return to the National League North could well be sealed based on other results.
With regards to Scunthorpe’s team selection for the afternoon, just days after being recalled from his loan spell at Radcliffe, Kian Scales came straight into the side to replace Jean Belehouan, granting the defender a well-earned rest. Elsewhere in the United defence, Will Evans returned to the starting XI alongside Branden Horton to replace the injured Andrew Boyce and the suspended Ross Barrows. Doncaster Rovers loanee Zain Westbrooke was chosen to regain his place in the middle of the park for Alfie Beestin. Finally, there was a full set of changes to the Iron front three as Danny Whitehall, Pat Jones and Cal Roberts were all elected to start over the attacking trio of Dec Howe, Aidan Dausch and Connor Smith.
As the Iron set proceedings underway at the Attis Arena, it would be a slightly scrappy start to the encounter as both teams tussled to establish an early foothold in the game.
With nothing to report from the opening 12 minutes of action, United winger Cal Roberts would take matters into his own hands to create the game’s first opportunity when he was tripped on the edge of the Brackley area. Standing over the free-kick that he’d earned, the wide-man would take advantage of the visitors’ poorly placed wall, whipping a stunning shot to the goalkeeper’s side that caught Harrison Rhone off guard, leaving the shot stopper helpless as it smashed against the post on its way to give the Iron a 1-0 lead.
The game’s next action would come following some valiant defending from the Iron to clear away the danger from several corners, although it would be the route one option that saw Brackley create their best chance of the half, as a long boot forward from Rhone saw striker Matt Lowe somehow race beyond the Scunthorpe defence despite appearing to be in an offside position. Bearing down on goal but with the recovering Branden Horton for company, Lowe would send a volleyed effort towards the target that narrowly avoided the top corner as it whistled just wide.
With 38 minutes on the clock and time running out for the visitors to respond before the half-time whistle, Scunthorpe would have a chance to extend their advantage when again Roberts stood over a free kick on the edge of the area. This time, on the opposite side of the penalty area, Roberts would opt to go around the wall on this occasion, sending Rhone scrambling across the goalmouth as the shot nestled just wide of the target.
Following the restart of play for the second period, the travelling Saints would look to go direct in an instant attempt to find an equaliser, creating the first opportunity within a matter of minutes when Oxford United loanee Aidan Elliott-Wheeler waltzed down the left flank before cutting inside and finessing the ball towards the target, forcing Louis Jones into a sublime reaction save to push the ball away.
In response to this chance, the Iron would immediately go up the other end in search of a second goal, and they would very nearly find it following a knockdown at the far post that allowed possession to fall kindly into the path of Oli Ewing in the area, with the space and time to drive a volleyed effort into the ground that Rhone did well to tip over the crossbar, from a matter of yards.
With Scunthorpe in relative control of the fixture and attempting to wind down the clock for as long as possible before a golden chance presented itself to Danny Whitehall in the 75th minute. Breaking at pace with just a single Brackley defender to attack against, Roberts would drive into the final third before sliding possession into the path of Whitehall in the area, who was left with just the goalkeeper to beat, driving the ball past Rhone but into the frame of the goal, agonisingly close to giving United a much-needed cushion.
The last 15 minutes of action would become slightly nervy from a Scunthorpe perspective as the Saints pushed for a late leveller. However, Jones between the sticks wouldn’t have a great deal to do, courtesy of his defensive line doing the dirty work with several important blocks.
As injury time was brought to an end by Isaac Searle, United would do enough to see out the three points on home soil, relegating their opponents with a hard-fought victory that leaves Andy Butler requiring just four points from their remaining two games to secure a home play-off tie.
IRON: Jones, Horton, Evans, Whitehall (Howe, 79’), Roberts, Rowley, Jones (Dausch, 79’), Ewing (Beestin, 68’), Scales, Westbrooke, Denton (Belehouan, 79’).
IRON SUBS: Mahady, Dawson, Smith.
ATTENDANCE: 3,812 (23 Away)
REFEREE: Isaac Searle
