Scunthorpe United v Hartlepool United

Friday, December 26, 2008

Football League One

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Byrne, Williams, Pearce, Wright, Thompson (Sparrow 76), Togwell, McCann, Woolford, May (Morris 89), Hooper (Hayes 85)
Subs not used:
Lillis, Mirfin

Hartlepool United :
Lee-Barrett, Clark, Nelson, Collins, Sweeney, Humphreys, Jones, Rowell (McCunnie 65), Monkhouse, Kyle, Porter (Mackay 66)
Subs not used:
Budtz, Power, Foley

OPPOSITION VIEW

FROM THE HARTLEPOOL MAIL

CHRIS Turner's reign as Hartlepool United caretaker manager came crashing down to earth after a 3-0 defeat at high-flying Scunthorpe United.

Pools were comfortably beaten by an efficient, well-organised Iron side who kept Turner's dangermen under wraps and possessed the work-rate to keep the visitors on the back foot.

But the game could have taken on an entirely different complexion had Joel Porter taken a chance which came his way in the eighth minute.

Porter was unable to beat keeper Joe Murphy and Scunthorpe made the visitors pay when the impressive Grant McCann curled home a beautiful free-kick.

Scunthorpe effectively sealed the result 90 seconds into the second half when Gary Hooper made Pools pay for some sloppy defending.

Pools continued to toil, without creating anything going forward, and substitute Paul Hayes put the icing on the cake with an 89th minute penalty.

Arran Lee-Barrett went straight back into the Pools side after serving his three game ban, with Jan Budtz relegated to the bench despite conceding just once in three games.

But there was a blow for caretaker manager and director of sport Chris Turner, with Matty Robson missing the game through flu which gave an opportunity for Andy Monkhouse.

Elsewhere, Jonny Rowell made his second start for the club in central midfield in place of the suspended Gary Liddle.

The first effort on goal fell to Martyn Woolford in the seventh minute when he curled a 25-yard left-footed free-kick wide of the far corner from the left-hand side of the box.

Seconds later, Joel Porter had a golden opportunity to hand Pools the lead when the Australian charged through the Scunthorpe defence after the ball became tangled up between Monkhouse, Kevin Kyle and Andrew Wright.

Porter picked up the loose ball but goalkeeper Joe Murphy was quickly off his line and blocked well with his body as the striker tried to lift it over him from eight yards.

Rowell displayed his evident confidence early on - spreading the ball well, losing his man with an elegant body swerve and curling an audacious effort towards the far corner from the left-hand side of the box which went a couple of feet over the bar.

Tireless Scunthorpe midfielder Grant McCann almost cracked a screaming goal in the 23rd minute when he picked up the ball in space 25 yards out and let fly with the outside of his left boot.

The ball swerved viciously in the air and just missed the far post with Lee-Barrett stranded.

Pools had been guilty of giving away too many free-kicks on the edge of the area and McCann capitalised after Rowell brought him down 25 yards out in the 32nd minute.

McCann stepped up himself on the right-hand side of the area and curled in a beautiful free-kick off the underside of the crossbar into Lee-Barrett's bottom left corner.

Lee-Barrett was forced into two smart saves within seconds five minutes before the interval as he first blocked low to keep out Gary Hooper's shot on the turn and then dived to his left to block Ben May's effort from the edge of the area.

Scunthorpe's opener had firmly given the hosts momentum and Martyn Woolford fired a low effort into the side netting from an acute angle on the left-hand side of the area.

Pools almost profited from a brisk counter-attack two minutes before half-time which culminated in Porter whipping in a looping cross from the right for Kyle who just couldn't peel sufficiently away from Wright and his header was comfortably gathered by Murphy.

Moments later Pools were inches away from grabbing the most fortuitous of goals when Sam Colllins' long-throw from the left by-passed Monkhouse and was not gathered by Murphy - the ball eventually bouncing into the side netting.

Scunthorpe doubled their lead just 90 seconds after the break following a kamikaze start to the second half from Pools.

Gary Hooper was slipped in on the edge of the area, barged through the challenges of Collins and Ritchie Humphreys and then placed the ball into Lee-Barrett's bottom corner.

May almost made it 3-0 in the 55th minute after he collected the ball down the left channel and went past the challenge of Collins on the touchline who couldn't get enough on the ball. It was an acute angle for May and his shot was on target but was blocked by Lee-Barrett who spread himself well.

Turner made a double change in the 65th minute with Michael Mackay coming on for Porter and Jamie McCunnie replacing Rowell, prompting Tony Sweeney to move into central midfield.

Mackay had a good shout for a penalty in the 69th minute after Scunthorpe centre half Cliff Byrne inexplicably left the ball for Murphy with the Pools striker loitering behind him. Byrne seemed to tug Mackay back as he was about to shoot but referee Trevor Kettle waved play on.

Seconds later, Woolford drew a decent save out of Lee-Barrett after driving a left-footed shot towards the near post from the left-hand edge of the area.

With two minutes to go Scunthorpe were awarded a penalty after Collins was adjudged to have pushed May in the six-yard box from a free-kick from the right.

Substitute Paul Hayes stepped up and calmly slotted the ball to Lee-Barrett's bottom left corner.