Scunthorpe United v Leeds United

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Football League One

Scunthorpe United :
Lillis, Byrne, Milne, Iriekpen, Williams, Thompson, Morris, McCann (May 82), Hurst (Sparrow 75), Hooper, Hayes (Forte 67)
Subs not used:
Lea, Wright

Leeds United :
Ankergren, Richardson, Huntington, Marques, Sheehan, Snodgrass, Prutton, Howson, Robinson (Hughes 89), Showunmi (Becchio 81), Beckford
Subs not used:
Douglas, Lucas, Telfer

OPPOSITION VIEW

FROM THE YORKSHIRE EVENING POST

THE spirit of Prenton Park was revived in Scunthorpe on a day when Leeds United's reputation as potential League One champions came crashing through its first examination.

A victory of bloody-minded resilience against Tranmere Rovers on the first day of last season set United on course for the play-off final, and an exhilarating fightback at Glanford Park lit the fuse of a campaign which Gary McAllister hopes will hand his club a bigger prize.

Twelve months ago, Tresor Kandol's last-minute header sunk Tranmere and sent optimism flooding through United's veins. The feeling was comparable when Jermaine Beckford bundled home a crucial goal and floored Scunthorpe United with 10 minutes remaining.

Beckford's goal came 19 minutes after Enoch Showunmi had struck with a timely header, beating Scunthorpe goalkeeper Josh Lillis within moments of the hosts breaking the deadlock.

Nigel Adkins considers his team to be candidates for promotion in their own right and they were equal to Leeds for much of the noon kick-off which launched England's domestic season, but the sight of United turning the screw in the closing stages was clinical and impressive.

The issue of McAllister's captain was publicly resolved an hour before kick-off with confirmation that Frazer Richardson would carry the armband for the first game of the season, and United's boss predictability retained the same line-up fielded in their final pre-season friendly seven days earlier.

A 4-1 victory over FCV Dender at Elland Road last Saturday was enough to settle McAllister's selection policy and, in pouring rain, his players wasted fewer than two minutes in finding a path through to Scunthorpe's goal.

A curling corner from Andy Robinson dropped kindly for Paul Huntington, whose weak header from eight yards failed to exploit the sort of chance which the centre-back tends to make the most of. But from a promising opening, Leeds were drawn into a congested scrap which persisted throughout a dogged first half.

Glanford Park's narrow pitch prevented Robinson and Robert Snodgrass from finding space on the flanks, and possession was traded readily in a busy midfield.

The hosts had two chances to take the lead during the opening 20 minutes.

Grant McCann's low shot from the edge of the box was knocked clear by Huntington's sliding tackle as McAllister's defence threatened to open up, and Casper Ankergren's full-blooded block countered a shot from Gary Hooper after Paul Hayes' pass had cut United's backline in half.

The visitors' talent displayed itself in brief flashes and Jonathan Howson's curling strike on 21 minutes came within a foot of dipping into the corner of Lillis' net, but Leeds were rarely able to pass their way beyond Scunthorpe's defenders. When Showunmi found himself in space three minutes after Howson's effort, his casual cut-back failed to reach either Beckford or Robinson in space inside the box.

Ankergren intervened again to deny Hayes after the striker had outrun Huntington, and the feeling that the opening goal was more likely to fall to Scunthorpe was strengthened when Izzy Iriekpen's header fell foul of an offside flag.

The stalemate should have been ended nine minutes before the interval when Hayes chested the ball down to McCann and watched his team-mate slice a poor finish wide of a net which Ankergren would have struggled to protect, but a sudden flurry from Leeds gave McAllister a glimmer of promise at the end of the half.

Showunmi's powerful left-footed strike beat Lillis from a tight angle but also slipped wide of the post, and when the wet conditions saw Lillis spill a low effort from Alan Sheehan, the resulting scramble around Scunthorpe's box ended with Beckford's improvised volley flashing into the side-netting.

A brief moment of controversy developed in the 43rd minute when a hooked effort from Snodgrass flew at Lillis, who clasped the ball initially before allowing it to drop from his hands. The ball appeared on first sight to bounce down over the goalline but, despite a strong appeal from Showunmi who stood six yards from goal, neither referee Lee Probert nor his assistants were moved to query Lillis' error.

The advice and observations provided by McAllister at half-time appeared to have a positive effect, however, and the improvement from Leeds was immediate.

Robinson set the tone with a free-kick which Lillis palmed wide with one hand, and a shot from Showunmi was cleared of the goalline during a frantic two-minute spell which ended when Beckford broke from the halfway line and scraped Lillis' side-netting with a strong finish.

David Prutton was next to threaten, producing a sliced volley which forced Lillis to guard his goal carefully, but United's resurgence was halted by a soft concession on 56 minutes.

Hayes and Hooper exchanged passes on the edge of the box, and when Marques lost his footing as he attempted to hack the ball clear, Hooper was left free to slip a low finish past a helpless Ankergren.

The goal could have been disastrous for Leeds, but their deficit was wiped out within five minutes by Showunmi's first league goal for the club.

Snodgrass directed a free-kick into the heart of Lillis' area, and Showunmi produced a downwards header which Scunthorpe's keeper was only able to push into his own net.

An engrossing half repeatedly promised a winning goal, but Prutton's shot from the edge of the box on 70 minutes failed to test the unconvincing Lillis, and Beckford sliced an inviting cross from Alan Sheehan beyond Scunthorpe's goal.

Lillis came under desperate pressure as the final whistle approached, and his two-handed parry from Beckford diverted the ball into the path of Robinson, who reacted quickly but could not stop his shot from rising over the bar.

But United's impetus took effect in the 80th minute when Prutton's shot crashed against the underside of the bar, leaving Beckford to scramble the ball into an empty net and defeat the club he assisted to the League One title in 2007. That prize is in his sights once more.