League Two
Scunthorpe
Jan 27, 2014 7.45pm
0
0
HT : 0 0
FT
Fleetwood
  • yellowcard Scott Davies 90'

Live Commentary: Scunthorpe United 0-0 Fleetwood Town - as it happened

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Scunthorpe 0-0 Fleetwood - as it happened
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Scunthorpe United have retained their place at the top of League Two with a goalless draw against Fleetwood Town.

The away side started well and created a number of chances, but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping ensured that the first half finished without a goal.

Steven Schumacher had a great chance to win the match for the Cod Army with an hour played, but his penalty was saved by Sam Slocombe.

Read how the action unfolded below.

9.42pmThat's all from me tonight, but stay with Sports Mole for the latest news. Goodbye!

9.40pmSo, Scunthorpe retain their lead at the top of the table, but Fleetwood will feel that this draw is a missed opportunity. They created numerous chances, but the crucial moment was the penalty save with an hour played.

90+3 minFULL TIME: SCUNTHORPE UNITED 0-0 FLEETWOOD TOWN

90+2 minBOOKING! The first card of the night goes to Scott Davies for time wasting.

89 minFleetwood don't clear the ball properly and it is curled back in by Madden, but Hayes sees the ball whistle over his head. We're going to have three minutes of added time.

86 minSAVE! Scott Davies hasn't had much to do in this second half, but he keeps his concentration to stop Madden's fierce drive from the edge of the box. The last five minutes or so have been end to end.

83 minJon Parkin gets a lump of vaseline on his head after suffering a nasty cut. He has to swap his shirt, and I think his new one is a few sizes smaller than the first.

80 minBLOCK! Despite being second best all night, Scunthorpe do look threatening on the counter. Adelakun does really well to skip past a defender and has time to pick out his man. He chooses Hayes, but his shot is blocked by Roberts. The home fans shout for handball, but I think it was chest.

79 min

77 minAs it stands the home side will be staying top of League Two, but they have been poor in this match. With 77 minutes on the clock, Fleetwood have the momentum, but can they find a way past Slocombe?

75 minSCUNTHORPE SUB: Paddy Madden is on for Sam Winnall, who has had precious little service in the second half.

71 minSAVE! Sam Slocombe has been excellent tonight and this time he denies Antoni Sarcevic, who had hammered a volley at goal from a tight angle. We're into the final 20 minutes now, still 0-0.

69 minNot much has happened since that penalty miss, which could come back to haunt Fleetwood. Eddie Nolan did smash a shot over the bar from distance, but it's an even game now.

66 minFLEETWOOD SUB: Alexander introduces his final sub as Jon Parkin comes on for Mikael Mandron.

65 minSCUNTHORPE SUB: Hakeeb Adelakun replaces Gary McSheffrey for the home side.

64 min

64 minFLEETWOOD SUB: That is Schumacher's last action of the night as Antoni Sarcevic comes on.

61 minFleetwood squander a great chance to take the lead as Slocombe produces a brilliant save to deny Schumacher from the spot. It was Taylor who was fouled by Hawkridge in the area, but it looked very dubious.

61 minPENALTY SAVED!

61 minPENALTY TO FLEETWOOD!

59 minSAVE! I'm not sure if McSheffrey means to do this, but he almost scores direct from a corner! Davies get across, however, and pushes it away.

58 minBetter by the home side, who win a corner after Marcus Williams's low ball is cleared just before it reaches Winnall.

55 minScunthorpe have seen more of the ball in the last few minutes, but the away side still look the more likely to open the scoring. As I said in the first half, the final ball and coolness in front of goal are missing.

51 minOVER! Schumacher's delivery ends up at the feet of Ball, but he can't keep his shot down and it goes over from a tight angle. The Iron are well and truly under the cosh in these opening exchanges of the second half.

50 minScunthorpe get the ball back with a throw in deep in their own half, but Fleetwood have it again with a free kick in a dangerous position.

48 minIt's an excellent start to the second half by the visitors, who have dominated possession in these early stages. Slocombe also got a crucial touch to push away Taylor's cross. At the moment it is relentless.

46 minKICKOFF! We're underway in the second half. Fleetwood have introduced Junior Brown for Alex Marrow, which I think is because of an injury.

8.43pmA good effort by the fans, especially when you consider that the match is live on television.

8.40pmSTATS: The statistics show that the visitors had 53% of possession in the first 45 minutes, with nine attempts compared to Scunthorpe's six. The home side managed four on target, two more than Fleetwood.

8.37pmHowever, the hosts probably had the best chance through Sam Winnall's volley, which Davies did well to tip over. Having said that, the Iron need to up their game in the second half.

8.35pmGraham Alexander will be very pleased with his side's performance at half time, but what he won't be happy with is the scoreline. Considering the chances that the Cod Army created, they should be leading at the break.

45 minHALF TIME: SCUNTHORPE UNITED 0-0 FLEETWOOD TOWN

44 minMISS! Ball has looked dangerous, but it's fair to say that his finishing has been a little off tonight. He should do much better here, but he scuffs his shot and it rolls wide.

40 minScunthorpe's short spell of pressure is over now, but the match is much closer than it was 15 minutes ago. Judging by how this has progressed so far, one goal could be enough.

37 minThat is cleared, but Roberts almost puts the ball in his own net with a header. It skims the top of the bar and is out for another corner. However, McSheffrey plays it short and the move breaks down.

36 minThis is better, much better by the home side. For the first time since the opening minutes they force their opponents back, with Terry Hawkridge making surging runs down the flank. However, just when it looks like they might have a chance, the final ball is poor and Fleetwood get it away. Corner to the home side now.

33 minThe problem for Scunthorpe is that they can't find their front two of Winnall and Hayes. The service has been very poor in this first half, and they have been unable to really trouble the Fleetwood defence.

30 minMandron has been a real handful and he shrugs off his marker, showing strength and skill. He finds McLaughlin, but again the finish is lacking and Slocombe makes a simple catch.

26 minWIDE! Another chance for the away side, but another miss. Again the joy comes down the flanks, although this time it's the right side. David Ball tries an ambitious volley in the box, but it goes wide of the post. Will Fleetwood live to regret their wastefulness?

24 minAs I type that, a corner causes havoc in the Iron area, but Fleetwood can't make the most of it. Difficult times for the home fans.

23 minScunthorpe haven't threatened since that Winnall volley and they look very nervy when the ball is played into their box.

19 minWIDE! Fleetwood are dominating at the moment and probably should be ahead. Firstly, Eddie Nolan almost turns the ball into his own net after an optimistic long ball, and then Roberts accidentally blocks Mandron's goal-bound effort.

16 minTaylor has been very productive for the Cod Army in this opening part of the game, and he again shows his skill as he skips away from a challenge and surges into the box. However, Murdoch gets it all wrong and slices his shot wide.

15 minBLOCK! Charlie Taylor sends in a curling cross with his left foot and the ball eventually falls to Schumacher. However, his powerful volley is blocked by Williams. That appeared to be on target, and I think it might have caused problems for Slocombe had his defender not got his body to it first.

12 minFrom the resulting corner Niall Canavan saw his header saved, but it was an easy one for Davies. Since then the ball has been exchanged in the middle of the park.

8 minGREAT SAVE! What a save! And what a shot! Sam Winnall runs on to a Hayes pass and fires a dipping volley at Davies's goal. However, the goalkeeper is just able to tip it over the bar. Brilliant stuff by both players there.

6 minSAVE! We have our first real effort of the game, but it's a poor one by David Ball. He has plenty of space 20 yards from goal, but his shot is low and Slocombe makes a simple stop.

3 minScunthorpe have yet to test Davies in the Fleetwood goal, but they have passed the ball nicely in midfield. Again the visitors come forward, but the ball is out for a Scunthorpe goal kick.

1 minIt's been a fast start by Fleetwood, with Mikael Mandron driving forward. However, the ball is lashed over the bar from just inside the area by Marrow. Positive play, though.

1 minKICKOFF! The away side get us underway!

7.44pmThe players are making their way to the pitch. Just time to put the kettle on.

7.40pmPREDICTION: We are five minutes away from kickoff, so it's time for our prediction. With the form that these sides are in, we will hopefully see plenty of goals. However, with home advantage I think Scunthorpe will come out on top, 2-1.

7.38pm

7.38pmHowever, the Fleetwood boss knows that tonight is going to be a tough test for his players. "Scunthorpe have got players who can score goals, so it will be a tough game but we’re hoping to give them a tough game as well," he told Sky Sports News. "They’re top of the league so it’s a good occasion for everyone, too. It’s a quick turnaround so the lads will have to recover really well, and we'll look after them in between."

7.34pmIf they manage to come away from Glanford Park with a win, then they will move to the top of the league. That would be some achievement in Alexander's first full season in charge.

7.32pmGetting back to winning ways against the Cod Army will be a difficult task, however. Graham Alexander's men are playing some great football, and have picked up 47 points from their 26 league games. Following three defeats in a row, they have won their last four.

7.30pmSpeaking before the match, he told reporters: "We know it's two dropped. Nobody has to ask that question – we know that for a fact that at 3-0 up we should be seeing the game out. It shows you how quickly momentum can change in games. Sometimes at 3-0, you can half think you’re home and dry."

7.25pmSince Russ Wilcox replaced the sacked Brian Laws in November, the Iron have gone 11 games unbeaten, winning seven and drawing four. However, they threw away a 3-0 lead against Dagenham at the weekend, so Wilcox will be looking for a response tonight.

7.22pmAs mentioned in the introduction, this match sees the league leaders up against third-placed Fleetwood, who could go top with a win. Both are in terrific form, which makes it extremely difficult to predict.

7.20pmThe Iron make two changes to their side, as Gary McSheffrey comes in for Christian Ribeiro and Paul Hayes replaces the injured Deon Burton. Meanwhile, the away side bring in Mandron for Parkin, who drops to the bench.

7.19pmSUBS: Maxwell, Evans, Parkin, Brown, Hogan, Cresswell, Sarcevic

7.18pmFLEETWOOD TOWN: Davies; Murdoch, Roberts, Pond, Schumacher; Goodall, McLaughlin, Taylor, Ball; Mandron, Marrow

7.17pmSUBS: Severn, Ribeiro, Sparrow, Waterfall, Adelakun, Collins, Madden

7.17pmSCUNTHORPE UNITED: Slocombe; Nolan, Mirfin, Canavan, Williams; Hawkridge, Syers, McAllister, McSheffrey; Hayes, Winnall

7.16pmBefore we go any further, let's have a look at the teams.

7.15pmGood evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of Scunthorpe United's clash with Fleetwood Town in League Two.
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