Starting 2026 with an Isuzu FA Trophy victory in midweek, the Iron returned to League action this afternoon to face lower table languishers Morecambe at the Mazuma Stadium, looking to carry on from where they left off in the previous calendar year as well as building on their impressive run of five straight wins in the Enterprise National League.
With regards to the United team news for the fixture, there was just a single alteration from the previous league game in the form of a first start for the club for wide-man Kyle Hurst, who came straight into the side after joining the club on loan from Doncaster Rovers to replace fellow forward Declan Howe, who dropped to the bench. Elsewhere, there were some positive inclusions on the bench for Scunthorpe with Will Evans and Alfie Beestin back in a league match day squad after featuring against Clitheroe.
After the game initially delayed fifteen minutes before being reverted back to a 3pm kick-off, the Iron would get proceedings underway with hopes of setting an early tempo and asserting their dominance, catching the hosts off guard and forcing a number of early mistakes in the final third.
This early dominance wouldn’t last long however, with the fixture evening out across the field and Morecambe slowly growing into the encounter. This fightback from the hosts should’ve really led to the game’s opening goal when possession as sprayed over to the left flank for the first time. Beating his marker out on the wing, Gwion Edwards would fizz the ball across the box with a low cross that found the undetected run of George Thomas at the back post who somehow failed to convert the chance from a matter of yards, sending his shot straight into Rory Mahady before the ball was cleared.
From this chance the Iron would spark a counterattack looking to punish their opponents missed chance, breaking at pace through some trickery from Oli Ewing before releasing Hurst down the left. In an almost repeat of what Morecambe did, Hurst would skip past his man before driving the ball into Whitehall in the middle of the area, who managed to flick the ball on target, but Jamal Blackman was equal to the shot.
The fixtures next action would see the game’s opening goal, and it would come for the hosts in relatively fortunate fashion. After a scrappy clearance from United, possession would fall kindly to former Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez on the edge of the area, with Azeez firing a spectacular volley towards the top corner that would cannon off the upright before bouncing off the already committed Mahady’s back and trickling into the open net for 1-0.
With the deadlock broken in the encounter, Morecambe would look to push towards a second, something they would very nearly accomplish when a recycled corner found Jack Nolan on the edge of the Scunthorpe area, with the forward teeing himself up for a volleyed shot of his own that bounced back off the near post from a tight angle, although Mahady appeared poised to save the shot as it was.
With the first-half’s action winding down and Scunthorpe still frantically searching for an equaliser before the break, the Iron’s best chance would come from a corner of their own when a deep cross to the far post wasn’t dealt with by the Morecambe defence, allowing Roberts to seize the loose ball and fire an effort towards the bottom corner that was matched by Blackman who leapt down to deny.
This would bring the opening period of the game to an end at the Mazuma Stadium, with the Iron requiring a much improved second period if they were to leave the seaside with anything more than an Ice Cream and a Chippy.
With the restart taken by the hosts, Ashvir Singh Johal’s Morecambe would find themselves immediately on the back foot with the Iron clearly eager to right the wrongs of the first-half.
With the first attack of the half, Scunthorpe would find the equaliser they desired with a sensational team goal. Working possession around down the right hand-side, United would combine in the final third to release Zain Westbrooke, with the loanee midfielder steadying himself before whipping the ball into the run of Roberts in the area, allowing the winger plenty of time to bring it under his spell and tuck home the leveller from close range.
In the minutes that followed the goal Scunthorpe would come under some heavy fire from their hosts, who were moving the ball around nicely themselves. With possession, Nolan found himself on the edge of the area. Again, the talented winger would lash the ball towards goal, forcing a much-needed intervention from Mahady, who sprang to his right to palm the ball away from goal.
As the second period progressed, the Iron would take control, patiently building their opportunities and keeping Blackman on his toes, especially after the introduction of Beestin to the fray, as he was only on the pitch a matter of minutes before stinging an effort at the former Chelsea shot stopper, who produced a strong reflex stop to push a goal-bound effort away.
The next action in the proceedings would see the Iron receive yet another corner, with this one having the desired effect. Oli Ewing had been aiming his deliveries to the back post all afternoon, and on this occasion it would bring joy as Andrew Boyce headed the ball back across the face of the goal for Joe Rowley to volley the ball into the roof of the net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance and giving the Iron the lead for the first time in the fixture.
The next and final 15 minutes were set to be a tense run-in with Morecambe now behind and in desperate search of an equaliser, which they very nearly found through Azeez again, who, with 82 minutes on the clock, bided his time on the edge of the Scunthorpe area before running onto a lay off from Nolan and side-footing the ball towards the bottom corner, taking a massive deflection before clattering off the inside of the post and back into the grasp of Mahady.
With the Iron in the midst of some backs-to-the-wall defending as they fought to protect their slender lead, but despite their best efforts, it felt only a matter of when the Shrimps would make the breakthrough, and they would do just that agonisingly close to the end. The equaliser would come from the penalty spot after Branden Horton was forced to bring down George Thomas in the area, with the former Scunthorpe midfielder Thomas milliseconds away from surely levelling the scores. Striker Admiral Muskwe would take the penalty for Morecambe, stepping up with virtually the last kick of the game and coolly dispatching the ball into the bottom corner to rescue a point for his side.
IRON: Mahady, Horton, Boyce, Whitehall (Ubaezuonu, 84'), Roberts (Howe, 90+2'), Rowley, Ewing, Starbuck (Belehouan, 90+2', Hurst (Beestin, 63'), Westbrooke, Denton (Evans, 63').
IRON UNUSED SUBS: Jones, Barrows.
ATTENDANCE: 2,728 (453 away)
REFEREE: Harry Wager
