The EBB Stadium was the venue of the Iron’s latest Enterprise National League encounter this afternoon as Andy Butler’s side travelled to Aldershot Town with hopes of achieving their first victory in three games. Their opponents, on the other hand, were seeking another positive performance in their bid to continue pulling away from the relegation zone.
There was just a single change for Scunthorpe following their midweek draw with Rochdale. Following his recovery from a light knock, versatile defender Branden Horton returned to the starting XI to give Tyler Denton a well-earned rest at left-back. Horton’s inclusion in the squad would make up the full 18 for United, with news of forward Joey Dawson joining Buxton on loan the day prior.
The Iron would make a positive start to the game against their high-flying hosts, ramping up the tempo from the off with several early attacks. However, the early signs would see Scunthorpe vulnerable on the counterattack.
It was this very vulnerability that saw the Shots take an eighth minute lead through striker Sean Patton, who reacted quickest in the penalty area to a stray ball, only after a shot from the edge of the area was patted down by Rory Mahady, allowing Patton to touch the ball home.
Despite mounting a fight back, Scunthorpe’s afternoon would get increasingly worse as the hosts doubled their lead on the counterattack. After defending valiantly in their own penalty area, Aldershot would fire the ball forward into the path of Patton, who carried the ball towards the penalty area before firing an effort hard and low past the goalkeeper for 2-0.
With 27 minutes on the clock, United would have the perfect opportunity to halve the deficit when a swift attacking move allowed Alfie Beestin to fire possession into Zain Westbrooke at the far post in acres of space. After bringing the ball under his spell, Westbrooke would look to slot the ball beyond the onrushing goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke, only for the keeper to produce an incredible reflex save from a matter of yards to tip the ball around the post.
From the resultant corner, the Iron would come very close again, this time the polar opposite of chances, as defender Ross Barrows moved up through the thirds before unleashing a ferocious strike from range that arrowed towards the bottom corner, although somehow Boyce-Clarke was equal to the shot by tipping it around the post.
With the game’s next attack, the Shots would add a controversial third goal when a ball over the top of the Scunthorpe defence aimed at James Henry saw the midfielder virtually protect the ball in an offside position until an Aldershot teammate could steam through and pick up the loose ball, and with the Iron defence expecting the offside call yards back, it left Brody Peart clean through on goal to power the ball into the bottom corner.
With half-time approaching, Aldershot would be granted the chance to run salt into the United wounds when they were awarded a penalty for a foul by Branden Horton on an Aldershot wide man. With captain Ryan Hill stepping up to take the penalty for the hosts, the defender would blast the ball over the crossbar from 12 yards.
In the last action of the first period, Scunthorpe would mount one final push for their first goal of the afternoon when they patiently built the ball into the Aldershot final third, allowing for a final pass into Roberts’ feet inside the penalty area, where he could drive the ball towards the far corner, although the shot would be crucially deflected away from the target and behind for a corner.
Following the half-time whistle, United’s players were going to be given a rocket by manager Andy Butler as he would have to inspire his team if they were going to complete any form of comeback.
After a double change at the break to try and bring new ideas in the second half, one of these alterations would have an immediate impact for United when Carlton Ubaezuonu cut inside before sliding a sensational through ball into Westbrooke through on goal. With just Boyce-Clarke to beat, Westbrooke would see his shot saved, although possession would fall kindly back into the path of Whitehall, who would apply the finishing touch, making it 3-1 with a composed finish.
With 65 minutes on the clock, United would create another chance to make a game of things when Roberts broke clear of the Shots’ offside trap, bursting through on goal and carrying the ball towards the penalty area. With the recovering Hill in hot pursuit, Roberts would fire the ball towards the bottom corner, but it was batted away by the palm of Boyce-Clarke.
The second half would be a tale of the hosts’ failure to expand on their advantage, making the scoreline still slightly nervy from their perspective by missing several chances and leaving the door open for Scunthorpe to come back if they were to double their tally.
With the fixture ebbing away and approaching additional time, the Iron would have a series of chances at reducing the score. The first of these opportunities would be a fantastically well-worked move as Joe Rowley dinked the ball over the top of the Shots’ defence for the overlapping Joe Strabuck to run onto and pull the ball back across to the box for Aidan Dausch to connect, smashing the ball down into the ground on its way to goal, just for a Aldershot defender to be in the perfect positions to clear the ball off the goal line.
The final chance that Scunthorpe would have to make a game of the fixture in added time would come from Westbrooke, from a recycled corner, with the first contact knocked into the air from out of a crowd of bodies, the Doncaster Rovers loanee would get himself underneath the ball and volley it towards the target. The effort seemed destined for the goal, but this was until yet again the Shots defence would hold firm as they swept the ball off the line again.
IRON: Mahady, Horton (Denton, 45), Evans, Boyce, Beestin (Smith, 64), Whitehall (Dausch, 64), Roberts, Rowley, Ewing (Ubaezuonu, 45), Westbrooke, Barrows (Starbuck, 64).
IRON SUBS: Jones, Hurst.
ATTENDANCE: 2,568 (384 away)
REFEREE: George Laflin
