Y GRIFFINY

Saturday 31st of March report:

Scunthorpe stretched their unbeaten run to 18 games as their dream of Championship football moved another step closer, second-half goals from Billy Sharp and Jermaine Beckford pushed them four points clear at the top of the League One table.

But they were made to battle in the first half by a dogged Bradford side slipping deeper into relegation trouble.

Player-manager David Wetherall marshalled his defensive forces well to keep Scunthorpe at bay as the home side dominated much of the opening 45 minutes.

However only once during the first half was City goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts really tested when he kept out a shot from Sharp, the Bantams might even have snatched a shock lead with Billy Paynter going close with a far post header.

It was Scunthorpe who went in front in the 56th minute when leading marksman Sharp netted his 27th goal of the season after twisting in the box to fire in a close range shot that was deflected off what looked like Beckford's rear past Ricketts, eat your heart out Ronaldhino.

Bradford rallied and thought they were back on level terms in the 65th minute when Weatherall headed home from a corner.

But their joy was relatively short-lived when referee Clive Oliver ruled out the effort for a foul on goalkeeper Joe Murphy, one group of Bradford followers however had obviously been affected by selective sight and hearing problems and still continued to celebrate as Murphy lined up the free-kick.

Ho-hum.

Scunthorpe struck again in the 76th minute when Beckford made it 2-0 with a speculative left-foot drive from 25 yards that left Ricketts no chance and hit the bottom corner with style and aplomb this was his seventh goal in 12 games since joining the club on loan from Leeds and only one has been a tap-in.

I just hope Dennis Wise has his beady eyes on other matters.

Scunthorpe march on at the top and that's all Y Griffiny to me!

 

 

Saturday 24th of March report:

 

Billy Sharp's last-gasp goal gave Scunthorpe a 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient to maintain their unbeaten record

Wayne Corden came back to haunt his old club with the opener for Orient four minutes before half-time, but Neil MacKenzie drew Scunthorpe level six minutes after the break.

Orient were down to ten men just before the hour mark when John Mackie was sent-off for a professional foul.

Despite their numerical disadvantage Gary Hooper fired Orient in front three minutes from time, but Scunthorpe refused to give in and Sharp popped up with a crucial equaliser in the dying seconds to rescue a vital point for the Iron.

It's getting tight at the top with the Iron's lead cut to just two points after wins by Bristol City, Nottingham Forest and Yeovil.

 

No fear! Gulp.

Roll on the Iron bandwagon

 

 

Saturday 10th of March report:

 

 

Scunthorpe United v Nottingham Forest at Glanford Park

 

Nottingham Forest came to Glanford Park on Saturday the 10th of March desperately needing all three points to stay in touch with an automatic promotion spot, however this Adkins team are certainly dogged and determined in defence and seemingly capable of scoring against any back four with sporadic bursts of genius. The near capacity crowd of 8906 were really giving their all to create an atmosphere from 2-00pm onwards but the tension of the game was obvious.

 

Nottingham Forest really bruised and bullied their way into the game in the first half and gave the Iron plenty of free-kicks to work with but Scunthorpe failed to capitalise on these, the chances were few and far between really but on 18 minutes a normally composed Joe "Safe hands" Murphy was left totally exposed and acted rashly in attempting a last ditch tackle on Jack Lester when through on goal, Kris Commons took up the rebound and curled a shot into the net, with a speculative shot from Beckford being the only other chance created in open play for Scunthorpe in the first 45 minutes the Iron fans looked nervous.

 

Adkins must have got stuck into the team at half-time as for not the first time this season a different Scunthorpe United came out for the second half and on 46 minutes Matt Sparrow worked brilliantly down the left to fashion a golden chance that Billy Sharp made no mistake with for his 25th goal of the season.

 

Iron pressure was relentless and Forest's counter-attacks still looked dangerous, it was still anyones game right up until the final whistle but a draw was a fair result and with the Iron six points clear at the top of league one after the game, it turned out to be a vital point.

 

 

Saturday 3rd of March report:

 

Brentford v Scunthorpe United at Griffin Park

 

The record breaking Iron bandwagon steamed into Brentford expecting to get three points at Griffin Park today, Nigel Adkins rightly told the people of Scunthorpe in the local media that "we haven't won anything yet" and the team followed suit and kept the foot on the accelerator.

 

United pressed hard and looked dangerous thoughout the first half but Brentford won a highly dubious penalty for a push in the box early on in the game, justice was served when the penalty was skied horribly and nearly warranted an appeal from the RSPB

 

Cleveland Taylor in excellent form, but it was Beckford again showing his great class who struck a superb shot to open the scoring on 40 minutes, it left the 620 travelling Iron fans with some euphoric sauce to go on their half-time pie and peas.

 

However, Brentford were not to be rolled over easily and they fought back into the game, but the defence which included the quite brilliant first full game of the season for Andy Butler in the abscence of the sick Iron captain Andy Crosby held firm and was the rock on which that the counter-attacks of Sharp, Taylor and Beckford were built on.

It was Taylor that finished the game on 88 minutes with an amazing strike after a Sharp assist to send the Iron ten points clear after Port Vale defeated new rivals Yeovil.

Amazing!!!!

 

 

Saturday 24th of February report:

 

Scunthorpe United v Gillingham at Glanford Park

 

Scunthorpe moved seven points clear at the top of League One with a fifth successive victory.

They opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Richard Hinds headed home a left-wing cross from Lee Ridley.

Matt Jarvis levelled the scores in the 54th minute with a simple tap-in but Gillingham had Ben Chorley sent off for pulling back striker Jermaine Beckford.

Dave Mulligan scored the free-kick and substitute Ian Morris wrapped up the scoring from just inside the box to end the game with a satisfying score of 3-1 to the Iron.

 

 

Tuesday 20th of February report:

Swansea City v Scunthorpe United at the Liberty stadium

 

Goals from Billy Sharp on the three minute mark and Jermaine Beckford on 71 minutes saw the league leaders power to an easy win over the woeful Swans.

Sharp put Scunthorpe in front when Willy Gueret's save with his feet fell to the top scorer who gave a clinical finish.

The home side's misery increased when striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was stretchered off with a broken leg.

And, when Gueret could only parry a long-range strike from Neil Mackenzie, Beckford was left with a simple tap-in.

 

Saturday 17th of February report:

 

Scunthorpe United v Rotherham United at Glanford Park

 

I'm afraid there was no getting away from the fact that this Iron performance was a poor one on a very bad pitch, Scunthorpe were looking by far the better side in the first half and Jermaine Beckford scored one of the best solo goals ever seen at Glanford Park on 17 minutes with neat footwork on the edge of the box before releasing a delightful left foot drive that curled and crashed off the inside of the far post into the net to send the Glanford Park faithful wild with delight.

This however was one of the very few high points for the Iron in a largely disappointing effort and in the second half Rotherham fought tooth and nail to survive in the division and get something from the game, it was only another simply outstanding effort by Scunthorpe keeper Joe Murphy that kept the score 1-0 and when Rotherham were awarded a penalty on 67 minutes it seemed inevitable that the Millers would score, Murphy however, had other ideas and saved the resulting spot-kick to the delight of the nervous home crowd.

Time after time, Murphy saved the Iron from Henderson and Partridge's onslaught in the second period, but somehow the ball stayed out and the Scunthorpe United bandwagon rolled on albeit somewhat luckily.

The result was marred by a collision between Murphy and Byrne which resulted in the right back being knocked unconsicious and Murphy being treated for a gash to the head.

That aside the Nigel Adkins "believe and achieve" motto seems to be paying dividends and his claret and blue army go clear at the top of League One by three points.

 

The highlights from the Rotherham game:

 

Scunthorpe vs Rotherham
Uploaded by FootballHeaven

Y Griffiny indeed and after the comments of Swansea City's prospective new manager Roberto Martinez: "Swansea City is a fantastic football club, it's in my heart and the problem is that they are living in a division where they don't belong," Y Griffiny has adjusted the table accordingly.

 

 

 

Monday 5th of February report:

 

Scunthorpe United v Bristol City at Glanford Park live on SKY

 

Striker Billy Sharp celebrated his 21st birthday with his 21^st goal of the season as Scunthorpe marched three points clear at the top of League One. Sharp struck in the 41st minute, collecting a free-kick from Jim Goodwin on the edge of the box and turning to find the bottom far corner of the net with a well-struck shot.

It was a typically tough top of the table battle on a difficult, sandy and bumpy pitch but the Iron showed the mental toughness that powered Scunthorpe to the top of the table.

City had the edge in the early stages, forcing a number of corners and centre-back Louis Carey went close with a header that flew just inches wide.  Scott Murray might also have done better with a fierce left-foot shot that flashed wide of the far post.

Scunthorpe United fought their way into the game with some good work by winger Kevan Hurst, making his debut on loan from Sheffield United.

At the start of the second half striker Jermaine Beckford had a chance to stretch Scunthorpe's lead, but his touch let him down at the far post with only goalkeeper Adriano Basso to beat.

Midfield man Lee Johnson kept driving City forward but they struggled to break down a solid Scunthorpe defence in which centre-backs Andy Crosby and Steve Foster  have been outstanding

Bristol City created just one good chance to equalise in the 75th minute when striker Kevin Betsy steered a close-range shot just wide of the near post with the goal seemingly at his mercy.

That was the last opening they created and in the closing stages it was Sharp who almost made it 2-0 when he volleyed just wide of the far post from an excellent cross by substitute Ian Morris.

It was a huge win for Scunthorpe and Y Griffiny fans  who are still dreaming of Championship football, a dream that is looking more likely each and every week, Nigel Adkins is stamping his mark on this Iron team with a fan-friendly positive upbeat attitude and it shows, believe and achieve was his resounding message and I do believe the fans are finally starting to believe.

Y Griffiny MOM – Billy Sharp of course.

League one table as it stands after the Bristol City game:

 

Saturday 29th January report:

 

Scunthorpe v Millwall at Glanford Park

 

Scunthorpe United kept the pressure on the top four by retaining their rightful place at the top of the pile-up that is league one, Millwall were no match for a depleted Scunthorpe side and were swept aside 3-0.

It was a professional performance with only some poor finishing keeping Millwall's hopes alive at half-time. New loan signing Jermaine Beckford should have had a hat-trick but showed enough to warrant his place in line-up, the opener finally came in the 50th minute as Goodwin capitalised on keeper spillage from close range, Billy Sharp was fouled inside the box a couple of minutes later and Andy Crosby made no mistake from the resultant spot kick.

Jermaine Beckford capped a decent debut with an easy tap-in on 79 minutes to make it 3-0 and sent the Scunthorpe fans home full of cheer.

However, as the transfer window closes in a matter of days concern grows amongst fans of the Iron at the lack of incoming players to Glanford Park, with the huge task ahead of containing and creating against teams like Bristol City and Nottingham Forest surely something must be done to better the service to the front players?

Y Griffiny MOM - Cleveland Taylor

 

 

 

Saturday 20th January report:

 

Doncaster Rovers v Scunthorpe United at the Keepmoat stadium

 

Second-half goals from Graeme Lee and Jason Price earned Doncaster a point after they had been outplayed by the table toppers in the first period.

League One leaders the Iron were by far the better side at the start despite being without the suspended League one golden boot contender Billy Sharp and injured midfielder Ian Baraclough.

Scunthorpe came out fighting to take the game to Doncaster and were rewarded as they struck twice to lead 2-0. Andy Keogh made the breakthrough in the 15th minute when he dribbled through from midfield before unleashing a beautiful shot from the edge of the box which sailed into the bottom corner.

 

Keogh was involved again in Scunthorpe's second before Drew Talbot hammered the ball goalwards. Rovers keeper Ben Smith did well to parry the shot but could only watch in agony when the ball rebounded off Talbot into the back of the net.

It took Doncaster some time to get back into the game but they were denied just before the interval when Joe Murphy pulled off a fantastic save to keep out a brilliant effort from Brian Stock.

Murphy came to the rescue again early in the second half with an almost world class save to prevent Jonathan Forte from volleying home from point-blank range.

Doncaster were really looking dangerous by this time and the pressure took it's toll as their captain Graeme Lee made it 2-1 with an unstoppable header following a corner from Stock in the 57th minute.

Two minutes later Forte dashed down the left and sent over a cross for former Hull City striker Jason Price to volley into the back of the net.

Both sides worked tirelessly for the winner with Lee denied by a goal-line clearance from Marcus Williams before Smith produced a double save to keep out Cleveland Taylor at the other end.

Doncaster finished on top but Scunthorpe defended well and a draw was a fair reflection of what was a drama filled derby at the Keepmoat Stadium.

 

Scunthorpe remain top of League one by goal difference but it sure is tight up there and with Nigel Adkins refusing to confirm or deny suggestions that Keogh will be on his way sometime this week Y Griffiny will be strongly voicing their concern at the questionable ambition of such a move by the board.

 

Keogh should be going no-where, get ready for a backlash from the fans Wharton!

 

Tuesday 16 January report:

Cheltenham Town v Scunthorpe United at Whaddon Road

 

The Robins took a 17th-minute lead when a quite superb Gillespie volley flew into the net giving the Iron's goalkeeper Joe Murphy no chance.

Cheltenham had a glorious chance to double their lead before the break when the lively Gillespie saw an effort turned around the foot of the post.

The second half began with the visitors going close when an Ian Baraclough drive was blocked on the line but the game was to turn on 59 minutes when Gillespie saw red following a nasty looking late challenge on Lee Ridley.

Two minutes later and a Billy Sharp effort was brilliantly tipped over the crossbar by Robins goalkeeper Shane Higgs as the visitors piled on the pressure.

They were finally rewarded 11 minutes from time when danger-man Sharp darted and headed home a Jim Goodwin free-kick to give Scunthorpe a vital point taking them to the top of League one once again.

The game wasn't without a huge cost however as both Williams and Barraclough were stretchered off with nasty looking injuries.

 

Y Griffiny MOM - Billy Sharp of course!

 

 

Saturday 13 January report:

Scunthorpe v Oldham Athletic at Glanford Park

 

Oldham snatched an equaliser deep into stoppage time in a dramatic top-of-the-table clash against Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park.

It came after Scunthorpe had been reduced to nine men after two red cards in the space of three minutes early in the second half.

First to go for the home side was substitute Cliff Byrne for his challenge on winger Chris Taylor in the 61st minute. Three minutes later United were reeling again when Cleveland Taylor got his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

Earlier Oldham had dominated the first half without being able to find their finishing touch in front of goal.

Skipper Will Haining headed a free kick straight at goalkeeper Joe Murphy while midfield man Gary McDonald fired in a 20-yard shot that was deflected just wide.

The visitors were unlucky in the 16th minute when striker Paul Warne found the back of the net with a close range header, only to be flagged offside.

Scunthorpe struggled to get into their stride in the opening 45 minutes, but suddenly found themselves in front nine minutes into the second half.

It came when Ian Morris delivered a curling cross from the left which was headed into his own net by Oldham centre-back Sean Gregan.

The home side didn't have the chance to build on that lead before falling foul of referee Darren Deadman, who also booked nine players to add to his two red cards.

There was no mistaking that this referee was one of the poorest officials seen at Glanford Park and sections of the crowd were understandably at boiling point.

For the final half-hour Adkins outlaws' were forced to defend desperately in and around their box.

The ever brilliant goalkeeper Joe Murphy was on top form, keeping out close range shots from leading marksman Chris Porter and from winger Taylor.

It was four minutes into stoppage time when Oldham finally salvaged a point with midfield man McDonald popping up to rifle the ball home from six yards after a real goalmouth scramble.

Admittedly it was an equaliser the visitors deserved but it was bad luck on the Iron who had defended so heroically for so long.

The fans may have gone home desperately disappointed but the players responded to the fans performance with equal passion and commitment in the face of adversity, well done all!

 

Y Griffiny MOM - Joe Murphy!!!

Next stop Cheltenham away on tuesday and the Iron really need the three points in this game to maintain any sort of serious Championship ambition.

See the highlights/lowlights of the Oldham game

 

 

Saturday 6th January report:

 

Joy oh joy, Scunthorpe United had a huge slice of luck today, their vital league one clash away at Cheltenham was postponed due to the rainfall, the Iron were staring defeat in the face after every one of their strikers and three other first team players had injury doubts but the gods look kindly upon those who make their own luck and the game was abandoned.

Hoorah for the downpour.

 

Monday 1st January report:

 

Port Vale v Scunthorpe United at Vale Park

 

Driving rain certainly didn't add to the entertainment factor in this New Year's day fixture but the 0-0 draw was a welcome point to end a hugely successful Christmas campaign for the Iron.

Sheer effort and energy from both sides apart, this was largely a game to forget and a point to savour although Billy Sharp had a glorious opportunity to steal the game at the death when Keogh found Sharp unmarked at the back post but the young inexperienced Vale keeper Anyon made a tremendous low save and denied Scunthorpe United the three points.

 

 

Saturday 30th December report:

Scunthorpe United v Bournemouth at Glanford park

The Iron yet again failed to show their full potential in front of the improving but disappointing crowd of 4794 but I guarantee that of the Scunthorpe contingent every one of those fans went home joyfully happy and no doubt started the New Year celebrations early.

 

It started so well for the Iron with their captain Andy Crosby forcing a shot into net at the second attempt on 8 minutes. Scunthorpe sent their fans into a claret and blue blur of excitement when Morris sent Keogh racing into the box and the Irishman finished with the precision of a Katana wielding Samurai to make it 2-0 on 29 minutes.

Sharp continued the 45 minute rout with a well-taken angled drive into the net of a dishevelled Bournemouth side that certainly looked well beaten by the half-time whistle.

 

Kevin Bond the Bournemouth manager however had other ideas he made three substitutions and “Had words at half-time”. A different, more purposeful Bournemouth were now threatening to spoil the New Year party and one of those substitutes Sam Volkes was quick to capitalise on Joe Murphy’s dawdling on the ball outside the box he dispossessed the former Sunderland Keeper and walked the ball into the empty net.

 

Scunthorpe fans were chewing the stumps of their fingers when Volkes volleyed a second from an Anderton cross on 75 minutes to make it 3-2. The crowd quite understandably began to get tetchy and irritable in the second half but credit to the players they held their own and still created chances with Keogh, Sharp and Taylor all looking dangerous and at least one of them probably should have scored but the dream of topping the table at New Year came to pass. At the final whistle the triumphant  rabble-rousing celebrations on the pitch by Adkins, Barraclough and the other players showed a team spirit not seen at Scunthorpe United for quite some time.

 

Y Griffiny!