Scunthorpe United v Shrewsbury

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Football League Two

Scunthorpe United :
Musselwhite, Byrne, Crosby, Butler, Ridley, Sparrow (Taylor 67), Kell, Baraclough, Beagrie, Torpey (Rankine 86), Hayes
Subs not used:
Evans, Stanton, Jackson

Shrewsbury :
Howie, Tinson, Walton (sent off 30), Whitehead (Edwards 45), Moss, Challis, Street, O'Connor (Langmead 73), Sedgemore (Tolley 45), Rodgers, Lowe
Subs not used:
Ridler, Hart

SULSESC REPORT

by Neil Holland at Glanford Park

AND they're off! The runners and riders for the London to Glanford Park race started dropping early.

A faller at the first, "Secretary Skeels" found the going too soft and opted for a weekend in Madrid instead of taking up the chance to see the Iron move five points clear at the top of Division Four.

Next to go, "Travel Secretary Robertshaw" decided to take his chance of becoming unseated with an Irish rider in Manchester, rather than watch United turn in another polished performance.

Which left "Fat Bloke Holland" to romp home as the only remaining rider from the "Hardcore Four"...

..and so I got stuck with writing the match report...

After the previous week's victory at a canter away in Bristol, a lowly Shrewsbury Town team were today's obstacle. With two of United's three falls coming against teams at the wrong end of the division, it was anticipated that Shrewsbury could prove more of a stumbling block than might be otherwise thought.

But the Iron came out of the starting gates well, eased up while looking comfortable through the middle section, and powered home in the final furlongs to clinch victory.

Butler was first to threaten, striking the bar from Baraclough's corner, before Hayes fired wide, following up on a long range Beagrie strike. Scunthorpe were looking good, and a Shrews team low on confidence were struggling to keep up.

Things got worse for the away team on the half–hour, when Walton was shown the red card for an altercation with Torpey in the box, spotted by the assistant referee. Beagrie stepped forward to resume his penalty taking duties, sent the 'keeper the wrong way, and put United 1–0 up with his first goal of the season.

The Iron spent the next 40 minutes, only interrupted by the half time break, stroking the ball about confidently and patiently, looking completely comfortable, although lacking the second goal, which would kill the game off. So, as any long suffering Scunthorpe United fan will imagine, it came as no surprise when Tolley equalised for the Shrews in the 70th minute, drilling home from a long throw...

But trainer Laws has instilled a new confidence and belief in the team this season, and the goal only acted as a catalyst to spur United into action once more.

Within a minute, they had their noses in front again, as Torpey laid the ball off, and Hayes cracked a right footed shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

With the finishing line in sight, the Iron were in no mood to ease off and should have been further in front two minutes later, as Hayes crossed from the right, directly on to Torpey's head. But with an empty net at his mercy, from one yard out the striker headed down into the ground, and the ball sailed up over the bar. Hayes was next to miss a sitter, firing wide from Taylor's cross, before Cleveland himself wrapped the points up, running on to another Torpey lay–off before bursting into the box and rifling into the roof of the net.

The Iron are looking like they have a real thoroughbred pedigree this season, and are maintaining the sort of consistency which they have lacked for many years. With the gap at five points after Swansea and Yeovil both lost, United are starting to put a couple of lengths between themselves and the rest of the field.

Let's just hope that come May, they'll have found their way to the winner's enclosure...