Scunthorpe 3-0 U’s – Report

COLCHESTER UNITED were comprehensively beaten by promotion-chasing Scunthorpe United, on Saturday afternoon.

Any hopes the U`s had of a late play-off push were firmly distinguished as the Iron ran out 3-0 winners at Glanford Park.

Paul Lambert named an unchanged starting XI from last week`s 1-1 draw against table-topping Leicester City, with loan pair Neal Trotman and Karl Hawley featuring from the off again.

Irish winger Mark Yeates found space on the left and fired in a cross-cum-shot which Clive Platt failed to connect with, in the game’s frist real chance.

Moments later the ball was up the other end and U`s man Pat Baldwin was forced to block a goal-bound effort from Paul Hayes, in an open first period of the game.

Platt tested Joe Murphy in the Iron goal with a header, after doing well to meet a ball in from the right.

On thirty-six minutes ex-Southend goal-getter Gary Hooper put the Iron in front, slotting the ball under Mark Cousins, after skipping beyond Trotman.

The U`s were forced to defend, as the home side looked for a second goal, blocking twice to deny Matt Sparrow.

Early in the second half the U`s had a good shout for a spot-kick after Yeates was upended in the penalty area; however, referee Graham Scott was not interested.

As the U`s started to impress Kem Izzet had a chance to level but failed to hit the target when in space.

Around the hour mark, Scunthorpe, and Hooper, got their second goal of the game. Following a quickly-taken throw in Hooper burst forward and calmly placed the ball beyond Cousins for his 29th goal of the season.

The U`s came very close to an instant response, as Hawley`s rasping drive from distance hit the bar and post before rolling away from danger.

With just over twenty-two minutes of the match left to play, the U`s found themselves three goals down as Arsenal loanee Henri Lansbury finished impressively after the Iron broke away.

More bad news for the U’s was that substitute Johnnie Jackson, currently returning from injury, was on the pitch less than five minutes before being forced off with a hamstring problem.

The U`s looked for a consolation goal; as Yeates saw his powerful effort comfortably collected by Murphy.

As the game ended in a 3-0 defeat for the U`s, Lambert will surely concede any chance of an instant return to the Championship is now over.

U’s: Cousins, Maybury, Baldwin, Trotman, Tierney, Yeates, Izzet (Jackson (Hackney)), Hammond, Perkins (Gobern), Hawley, Platt

Subs Not Used: Gerken, White