Scunthorpe United 1 - 0 Rochdale
ACTION from Scunthorpe United's evening match against Rochdale.
REPORT from Glanford Park
The Iron won their first home game since October and kept their first clean sheet in six as a Gary Thompson scorcher saw them inch closer to safety against fellow strugglers Rochdale.
Ahead of the game, United boss Alan Knill made four changes to the starting line up - giving debuts to David Mirfin, Jon Parkin and Jamie Reckord and bringing in Mark Duffy.
That meant that the Iron lined up with Sam Slocombe in goal, a back four of Christian Ribeiro, Mirfin, Paul Reid and Reckord; a midfield trio of Sam Togwell, Josh Walker and Michael O’Connor, while up top it was Garry Thompson, Duffy and Parkin.
The opening quarter of the game was played at a pace perhaps indicative of where the two clubs are in the league, crying out for a spark of individual inspiration.
It took until 25 minutes in for either side to fashion a chance, and when it came it a was predictably from a set piece.
From a free kick 35 yards out on the right hand side of the box, Walker floated in a free kick which Thompson got his head to, only to see it float safely into the arms of Peter Kurucz.
Moments later Walker fired over after good work from Ribeiro down the left as the visitors restricted United to half chances and shots from outside the box.
With just four minutes of the opening period left, the Iron had possibly the best chance to go in a goal to the good, forcing a succession of corners.
First Parkin had a header cleared and then the post intervened to deny the home side but, as it was, the half ended with neither goalkeeper having to make a serious save.
After half time it was the Iron who came out with their tails up, firstly Thompson firing wide from a sublime Parkin throughball and then an O’Connor free kick sailed over the bar from 25 yards.
Ten minutes into the half the Iron had another chance and again it was Parkin at the centre of it.
Halfway inside the oposition half he pirouetted over the ball, bamboozling two Dale players and sprayed the ball wide to Reckord. The left back took two touches and drilled a cross to the back post where Parkin connected to force a save from Kurucz.
With their tails up it was the Iron who threatened to snatch the goal the game so desperately needed but first Parkin and then O’Connor had chances go begging.
But it was the visitors who almost went ahead on the hour mark.
A surging run down the left by skipper Gary Jones ended in a shot from just inside the area.
Slocombe parried but only as far as Nicky Adams who saw his shot squirm harmlessly wide with the goal at his mercy.
It looked like the game would require a touch of magic to break the deadlock and on 64 minutes it was Thomspon who provided it.
Out of nothing he picked up the ball just inside the visitors’ half of the right hand side and after going past two men, the winger cut inside and lashed an unstoppable thunderbolt into the top left hand corner of the net to send the fans into raptures.
That rocked the visitors and moments later Walker forced a save from a set piece right on the edge of the area.
With 15 minutes left, Knill brought on Damien Mozika for his first taste of action in over four months to shore up the midfield and for all their pressure the visitors never forced a save from Slocombe as the visitors held out for their first home win since the end of October.
Sponsors’ man of the match: Garry Thompson
Iron Bar man of the match: Jon Parkin
Attendance: 3,409 (267 away).
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Weather for Epworth
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
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