Scunthorpe United v Walsall

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Football League One

Scunthorpe United :
Musselwhite, Stanton, Crosby, Hinds, Williams, Sparrow, Richie Ryan (sent off 20), Baraclough (Taylor 68), Corden (Butler 45), Keogh (Parton 83), Sharp
Subs not used:
Capp, Byrne

Walsall :
Ruddy, Pead, Gerrard, Westwood, Fox, Leitao (Wright 21), Osborn, Merson, Smith, Taylor (Husbands 61), Fryatt
Subs not used:
Kinsella, Staunton, Gilmartin

SULSESC REPORT

by Andy Skeels at Glanford Park

THE first real sign that the wheels are coming off? Or are we still enduring a small blip in form?

Difficult to tell on the evidence of this match, but for certain the next two fixtures - away at the Franchise and at home to Yeovil, both of which should be deemed winnable matches - will provide much clearer evidence.

On the back of the worst display of the season so far at Doncaster seven days earlier, and a midweek Carling Cup defeat at the hands of Premiership Birmingham, everyone at Glanford Park, save for the fairly low turn-out from Walsall, was anxious to see the Iron return to winning ways.

Instead, we watched a third loss in eight days against an inconsistent Saddlers team who had lost their previous two matches - even squandering a 2-0 lead at home to Chesterfield last time out to lose 2-3 - after some encouraging results earlier in the season.

United did not play that badly, but were made to pay for a sluggish start in which they gave away a silly penalty early on - a Hinds trip on the lively Jorge Leitao - and were then reduced to 10 men when Richie Ryan rather needlessly got himself sent off for elbowing Simon Osborn after being fouled.

Despite the visitors' numerical advantage, United commendably fought their way back into the match in the second-half, after Laws had brought Andy Butler on for the unlucky Wayne Corden (when is he ever going to get a chance to prove himself?) and pushed Richard Hinds up into midfield.

After a well-worked equaliser, Baraclough and Keogh setting up Sharp for a free header he couldn't miss, perhaps our undoing was the apparent determination to press ahead with all guns blazing for a winner with only 10 men. We were promptly caught on the break as Walsall's Simon Osborne restored his side's lead against the run of play with a brilliant chip - and were then punished again when the same player finished confidently after a dreadful free-kick from Hinds had squandered possession with most of the United team upfield awaiting the expected ball into the Saddlers' box.

That was game over, and it could have been worse as Walsall missed a couple of clear-cut late chances which would have led to a scoreline largely unreflective of the balance of play.

Not a bad performance then, but certainly a bad result. And we will probably discover the Iron's true colours in the next couple of matches. Franchise Scum, the only professional club in the country without a win this season. I think we all know what's coming...