Scunthorpe United Preview

29 September 2017

Marcus previews Saturday's visit of Scunthorpe United

I seem to say this every time but this is the most important game of the season so far. That is the reality of life at the top or the bottom of a division; your next game is always the most important. I probably say that the next game is going to be the toughest quite often too but rarely will we see a team in such good form as fifth placed Scunthorpe are now.

A good partnership between Funso Ojo and Neal Bishop in the heart of the midfield is central to the success of the Iron. The pair are part of a tight group of eight players that have played a part in every League One game Scunthorpe have played. A further three players have taken part in eight of The Lincolnshire clubs League One games this season. Lee Novak is the only squad player outside these groups to score with two goals in 3 starts and 3 sub appearances.

In the league, Scunthorpe have only been beaten once and when they were beaten, by Blackburn, it took an excellent goal that relied on a good delivery and finish. In their only other defeat this season, a classy looking Middlesbrough beat them 3-0 in the League Cup. Each of the Boro goals were excellent so it looks like we need to really be at our very best to get anything, even at home.

Clean sheets

Scunthorpe have kept seven clean sheets this season in League One, that's 70% of their games. They have only conceded in three league games this season and on each occasion it was just a single goal. In away games it's 80% of their games that end in a clean sheet, just one away goal conceded in the league this season. In their last eight League One games the Iron have kept seven clean sheets.

Top Scorer

Josh Morris is a former Blackburn Rovers trainee who has played on either wing and is also comfortable in front of goal. His career has an interesting pattern with a relatively sparse return of goals with his first six clubs contrasted by his haul of 22 goals in 54 games since joining the Iron in June 2016. He's a player who likes to make space for himself to operate wherever his is on the pitch and he's supplied three assists to add to his three league goals.

Goals

Not so many of these of late, they scored nine times in six games in August but this month has seen them in a less generous mood in defence and going forward. In the six games played in September so far, the Iron have scored five times but have failed to score on three occasions.

Goal distribution

Of the seven goals United have scored in away games, three of them have been scored in the last fifteen minutes. They haven’t conceded in the first half of any match so far in the league but they have conceded twice in the first fifteen minutes of the second half.

Discipline

Scunthorpe have managed to go through their ten league games without having a player sent off and they've also had five caution free games out of their ten played in the league. From their six games in September Scunthorpe have received five yellow cards and 0 red.

Referee

Graham Harwood from Luton. Games this season: 8. Yellow card average: 3 per game. No red cards this season.

Squad News

Neither team has any new injury worries.

Prediction

Scunthorpe are a bit like we are, a team that works for each other and I like the way they play. Certain areas of their game look similar to our own; if they don’t have the ball their fist instinct is to win it right back. Their next instinct is to look for the quickest way to hurt the opposition, always looking to put the ball in those difficult to defend, pressure-inducing areas.

Their individual ability worries me a little too, Lee Novak is a forward in his prime and at possibly a lower level than he deserves but maybe that shows Scunthorpe's ambition. Josh Morris is a player with Premier League and Championship experience and at 25 he's just getting to peak age for a forward oriented player.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this one end in a stalemate, an entertaining one though between two hard working teams that aren't afraid to pass the ball. Both teams are capable of keeping things tight but I think we're going to have to pull out all of the stops to get anything here. I have to be honest, after the season we've had I could forgive a defeat by a team in such great form. I thought the same about Blackburn and Wigan but we got something good out of both games. I really hope that most of the fans that came last time will come and cheer Town on, it obviously has a positive impact and it's excellent fun!

Shrewsbury Town 2-2 Scunthorpe United

COYB!!!

Marcus

Match Previews

Match Reports

Town 2 Scunthorpe United 0

30 September 2017

Town stay four points clear with 2-0 win over Scunthorpe

Town: Dean Henderson, Ben Godfrey, Mat Sadler, Shaun Whalley (Carlton Morris 75), Abu Ogogo ©, Junior Brown, James Bolton, Jon Nolan (Louis Dodds 80), Aristote Nsiala, Alex Rodman, Stefan Payne
Subs: Craig MacGillivray, Omar Beckles, Carlton Morris, Louis Dodds, Arthur Gnahoua, Lenell John-Lewis, Ebou Adams

Scunthorpe United: Matt Gilks, Jordan Clarke, Murray Wallace, Sam Mantom, Josh Morris, Neal Bishop, Tom Hopper (Paddy Madden 60), Lee Novak, Duane Holmes (Kevin Van Veen 51), Rory McArdle, Lewis Butroid
Subs: Rory Watson, Andrew Crofts, Funso Ojo, Paddy Madden, Kevin Van Veen, Hakeeb Adelakun, Cameron Burgess

Referee: Graham Horwood
Assistants: David Plowright and Mark Cunliffe
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk

Attendance: 5759 (392)

Shrewsbury Town continued their incredible start to the League One season with a 2-0 victory over Scunthorpe. The visitors had only conceded three goals before today but Stefan Payne bundled home Town’s first in the 24th minute after Gilks failed to hold James Bolton’s header and Carlton Morris sealed the three points in the 87th minute with a cool finish. The result means that Town are now unbeaten in 11 league games, winning nine.

Team News:
Paul Hurst reverts back to the side which drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers last Saturday. Town had made four changes for Tuesday night’s late win over Doncaster Rovers, but all four of those drop out. James Bolton, Mat Sadler, Ben Godfrey and Shaun Whalley are all back in the starting line-up in place of Joe Riley, Omar Beckles, Louis Dodds and Carlton Morris. It means that Town revert to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Stefan Payne leading the line.

First Half:
It was the away side who started brightest and then won the first corner of the game inside the opening couple of minutes. Junior Brown cleared the initial delivery, but Scunthorpe recycled the ball to Josh Morris on the left and Dean Henderson had to be alert to stop Morris’ shot at the near post.

Town then had an early sighter of their own when Jon Nolan expertly flicked the ball past two Scunthorpe defenders before running into the box and shooting, but his shot went across the face of goal and Matt Gilks watched it go harmlessly wide.

Scunthorpe looked a danger from set-pieces and Henderson had to make another early save when Morris’ left footed corner was met by Rory McArdle, but luckily for Town, McArdle’s header was straight at the Manchester United loanee.

After a decent opening five minutes the game seemed to fall into a bit of a lull as both sides cancelled each other out. However, with 24 minutes on the clock Town took the lead. Shaun Whalley’s corner kick was met by James Bolton, who headed straight at Gilks, but the Scunthorpe ‘keeper couldn’t hold it and the ball fell to Stefan Payne who managed to scramble it home from a yard.

There was quite a relaxed atmosphere around the Montgomery Waters Meadow, but the crowd sparked into life when Jon Nolan was shown a yellow card on 35 minutes. The card seemed fair for Nolan’s poor challenge on Duane Holmes, but Scunthorpe’s Neal Bishop reacted badly and appeared to strike out at Stefan Payne in the subsequent melee. Bishop’s retaliation was spotted by the fourth official and he was shown a yellow card as the Town supporters begged for red.

Half-Time: 1-0

Second Half:
Five minutes into the second half Town had a couple of half chances to double their lead. Junior Brown had done brilliantly down the left-hand side, taking the ball past a couple of Scunthorpe defenders, before cutting the ball back for James Bolton. Bolton’s shot went straight across the face and was recycled by Alex Rodman who chipped it back in for Bolton, but this time his shot went just wide of the near post.

Scunthorpe made a couple of changes as they looked to make a breakthrough. Paddy Madden and Kevin Van Veen were brought on in place of Tom Hopper and Duane Holmes, but Town appeared comfortable at the back and midway through the second half there had been little action at either end.

Town should really have put the game to bed 68 minutes in as Alex Rodman did really well down the left hand side. He took it past Clarke and cut the ball back for Stefan Payne who looked odds on to add his second of the afternoon, but he took too long on the ball and McArdle managed to get a block in.

Town were almost made to rue Payne’s missed chance a couple of minutes later when Mat Sadler gave away a free-kick 25 yards out. Josh Morris stood up to take it and his sweetly struck curler appeared destined for the top corner until Henderson threw himself across the goal and palmed it away at full stretch.

With around 15 minutes on the clock Paul Hurst decided it was time to make his first change of the afternoon and brought on Carlton Morris in place of Shaun Whalley who appeared to have ran himself into the ground.

Five minutes later, Louis Dodds came on for Jon Nolan. Nolan was still having a positive influence on the game, but he had had a final warning from referee Horwood and it was safer to bring him off rather than risk going down to 10-men.

Town had nullified Scunthorpe for much of the second-half, but they almost found an equaliser on the break. Paddy Madden did well to release Josh Morris on the left and Morris’s cross was headed down by Lee Novak into the path of Madden, who had continued his run, but his first-time shot went inches over Dean Henderson’s bar.

With less than five minutes remaining Town put the game to bed. Abu Ogogo forced Sam Mantom into a mistake and the ball came the way of Carlton Morris who beat McArdle for pace before showing a cool head to slot it into the bottom corner, past the onrushing Gilks.

Hurst brought on Lenell John-Lewis in stoppage time to run down the clock and Town did that with relative ease, as they remained four points clear at the top of League One.

Standings