STATISTICAL REVIEW: Eastleigh 3-2 Iron

A Statistical Review of the Iron's defeat to Eastleigh courtesy of Andy's Bet Club.

Introduction

Scunthorpe came up short on Saturday as they fell to a 3-2 defeat to Eastleigh in a thriller at Silverlake Stadium.

Harry Sidwell gave the hosts the lead on 37 minutes, before Alfie Beestin levelled it up just after half-time.

Aaron Blair put Eastleigh ahead five minutes later, but not before James Gale’s shot flew under Eastleigh goalkeeper Nick Townsend to make it 2-2.

Josh Lundtram then grabbed the winner for Eastleigh just two minutes later to wrap up the points for the hosts.

The experts at Andy’s Bet Club will be reviewing each of our games for the 2026/27 season, and you can find their daily free betting tips on their website.

Attack

The shot battle was pretty even on Saturday.

Scunthorpe had 14 shots to Eastleigh’s 13, with both sides having five shots on target each.

Scunthorpe had 1.03 xG, meaning they overperformed their chance value. Eastleigh also scored more than they should have stats-wise, having 1.95 xG.

Alfie Beestin’s equaliser on 51 minutes was a chance worth 0.25 xG, whilst James Gale’s strike on 71 minutes was much lower, coming in at 0.04 xG. The chance was converted largely down to a goalkeeping error from Eastleigh’s Nick Townsend.

Scunthorpe United generated 13 attacks worth 0.55 xG, more than half their total threat, with the flanks contributing far less by comparison.

Defence

Eastleigh had 13 shots with five on target, for an xG of 1.95 on Saturday.

Scunthorpe’s PPDA (passes per defensive action) was 6.3, meaning they made a defensive action for roughly every six Eastleigh passes, a higher press than Eastleigh's own 13.3.

Louis Jones made two saves (both of them reflex) in goal for Scunthorpe from the five shots he faced.

Possession

Scunthorpe had 63% possession on Saturday, rising to 66% in the second half, and completed 339 of their 424 passes (79%).

Average possession length was also in Scunny’s favour, lasting 13 seconds to Eastleigh’s seven.

61 possessions reached the Eastleigh half and 21 reached the penalty area, 19% of the total.

Set pieces

Andy Butler’s side had four corners on Saturday, two of which resulted in shots.

They delivered 18 crosses with eight finding a team-mate, a 44% return that was higher than Eastleigh's 33% from fewer attempts.

Players

Alfie Beestin scored the equaliser and put in the busiest shift among Scunthorpe attacking players, involved in 60 actions with 36 successful, and winning 20 of his 40 duels.

Jacob Butterfield kept things ticking over nicely in midfield for Scunthorpe, completing 52 of 58 passes (90%) and having an xA of 0.16.

Josh Lundstram scored the winner for Eastleigh, but was influential throughout the match, being involved in three of their five goal attempts worth real value, finishing the game with 0.69 xG across his shots, more than any other player in the match.

Conclusion

Scunthorpe United dominated the ball, pressed with real intensity and out-shot Eastleigh, but it was the home side who had the better chances.

The result leaves Scunny still searching for their first league win this season, with all eyes now on this Friday’s clash with Solihull Moors.

Check out Andy’s Bet Club for more match analysis like this, alongside stats and tips for all major football competitions.