Scunthorpe: Garry Thompson (36), Michael Lea (45)
Town: Lewis Nightingale (48, 62)
Graham Mitchell's second string retained their unbeaten record in the totesport.com league with an impressive second-half fight-back at Glanford Park this evening. In the chilly conditions, Academy midfielder Lewis Nightingale (pictured) was the hero - helping Town overturn a two goal deficit after the interval with an impressive brace.
In the end both sides had chances to win the game, with the majority falling to the Terriers. Although Nightingale grabbed both goals, several of Town's established starts and young scholars put in impressive performances.
Town lined up in a 4-4-2 formation to start the game, with goalkeeper Smithies behind a back four of Williams, Unsworth, skipper Lucketti and right-back Killock. Worthington partnered Nightingale in central midfield with Kamara and Codman on the right and left wings respectively, leaving Academy duo Heagney and Barlow to lead the line up front.
Scunthorpe forward Thompson put an early cross into the Town box in the 2nd minute, but his intended target - left winger Lea - could not prevent the ball from going behind the dead ball line.
Soon after Malvin Kamara went on a positive dribble down the Town right, but curly-haired defender Picton came across to make a good sliding challenge just inside the penalty area.
The Terriers enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening ten minutes, with the Sierra Leone winger being used as an aerial outlet by Alex Smithies due to his height advantage over left-back Coleman.
It was a cross-field ball from Kamara that started a good move by the Terriers in the 10th minute; he picked out left winger Codman, who immediately volleyed the ball infield to striker Barlow. He skipped past a man on the edge of the box and could have been disappointed not to hit the target with his resulting shot on his favoured right foot.
Two minutes later a right-sided corner, taken by Nightingale, was not properly cleared by Scunthorpe but Kamara volleyed way over the crossbar from 25 yards out.
Barlow then went on another good run in the 14th minute, driving infield from the right and easily skipping the challenge of Picton; unfortunately, his slide-rule ball into the Scunthorpe area found strike partner Heagney in an offside position.
The lively second-year scholar then picked up a left-sided throw-in from Williams in the 21st minute before shooting just wide of the 'keeper's right-hand post from long range.
Town's centre-back duo of Unsworth and Lucketti were dominant in the early stages, which was giving Graham Mitchell's side a good platform from which to build some decent attacking moves. Unfortunately, the final ball was not quite up to the same standards in the first half hour of the game.
GOAL - Against the run of play, the home side took a 36th minute lead through Garry Thompson. The goal came from a long ball from left-back Coleman and with the Town defence claiming for offside, the striker ran through unchallenged before beating Smithies low to his left side from twelve yards out.
Scunthorpe midfielder Morris had a long shot that slapped into the chest of Smithies two minutes later.
Jon Worthington then charged down defender Picton to rob him of the ball in the 41st minute before passing the ball to the left side, where Heagney sent a curling effort into the arms of Scunthorpe custodian Lillis.
A minute later, Scunthorpe winger Lea sent a daisy cutter straight at Smithies from fully 30 yards out.
Worthington's run past the strikers was then brilliantly picked out by the outside of Kamara's right boot on the stroke of 45 minutes; he easily outmuscled defender Picton before passing to Barlow eight yards out, but his shot was brilliantly blocked by veteran defender Crosby.
GOAL - Scunthorpe then doubled their lead in the first-half of added time through Michael Lea. The Town players were again claiming for offside when a cross field ball found the feet of right winger Hurst, but the appeal was again denied and his cross found the feet of the Scunthorpe left winger who fired low past the despairing Smithies.
Scunthorpe could have scored again before the half-time whistle, but Thompson fired weakly into the side netting of Smithies' goal when in space inside the area.
HALF-TIME: SCUNTHORPE UNITED 2 TOWN RESERVES 0
SUB - Town made one change during the interval, with Spencer Harris replacing Robbie Williams - who had twisted his knee just prior to the break. This saw Killock switch to the left, with the new sub at right-back.
GOAL - Town soon found a way back into the game through Lewis Nightingale. The midfielder took a right sided free-kick with his favoured left foot after Kamara had been hauled down by left-back Coleman and the pacey set-piece narrowly evaded Killock at the near post along with everyone else, nestling in the far corner of the goal.
Alex Smithies did well to block a low shot from Thompson in the 50th minute after Danny Wright pulled it back from the dead ball line on the left side.
The game descended into a midfield battle for the following ten minutes, with the rain teeming down at Glanford Park. Town had the majority of play, but the hosts looked dangerous on the break.
SUB - Town made a second substitution in the 61st minute, replacing the impressive Worthington with Liam Ridehalgh in central midfield.
It took a superb last ditch tackle from a Scunthorpe defender to deny the overlapping Harris a clear run at goal in the 61st minute after a great spin and pass from Danny Barlow - one that left the vastly experienced Crosby slithering along the ground.
GOAL - However, Town did equalise through a fantastic 62nd minute goal - the second of the game for Lewis Nightingale. Malvin Kamara outpaced his full-back down the right side before crossing from the dead-ball line; striker Heagney showed great awareness to pull the ball out of the sky before passing to the onrushing midfielder, who opened up his body to the right of goal and curled a great close-range shot around the goalkeeper and into the far post.
The Iron went back on the attack, with right-sided striker Wright running at Shane Killock in the 69th minute before seeing his shot deflected narrowly over the crossbar by skipper Lucketti.
A minute later, striker Thompson should have netted with a header but placed his effort over the crossbar from just six or seven yards out.
Spencer Harris got caught under a long pass from midfielder Morris in the 73rd minute, with dangerous winger Hurst running onto the pass; thankfully, Alex Smithies acrobatically tipped over the curling shot that followed.
From that corner, big defender Crosby powered a back post header over the crossbar from twelve yards.
Left-back Killock did brilliantly to turn to beat winger Lea to a header in the 76th minute before turning inside right-back Andrew Wright and pulling the ball back to Danny Barlow, but he miss-hit his shot wide of the near post when fifteen yards out.
BOOKING - Scunthorpe 'keeper Josh Lillis - son of former Town player Mark - was booked by referee Proctor-Green in the 78th minute for a high-footed challenge on striker Barlow outside his area after the diminutive forward has broken the Scunthorpe offside trap to latch onto a long ball from Dave Unsworth. Only his covering centre-backs saved him from a certain red.
Snow started falling in the final ten minutes and Town almost scored an immediate goal through an excellent break. The impressive Nightingale picked up the ball after the Town defence cleared a corner and accelerated over halfway before playing the ball left to Barlow; the striker immediately turned the ball into the path of Harris, who immediately squared it across the box to Dave Heagney. It took the heroics of 'keeper Lillis to deny him a goal - he saved his left-footed shot from just inside the area.
Two minutes later, Heagney skipped past the sliding challenge of right-back Wright before turning onto his favoured right foot - this time defender Crosby did well to get back on his line and block the striker's shot behind for a corner.
SUB - Luke Durham came on for the final six minutes of the game; he replaced left winger Codman, with Kamara switching over to the left side.
SUB - Scunthorpe made their first substitution at the same time, with Jack Cross replacing Danny Wright.
Spencer Harris immediately made an important interception to clear a Hurst cross at the back post with two attackers in close attendance.
SUB - Scunthorpe replaced Ian Morris with Danny Gibbons in the 89th minute.
FULL TIME: SCUNTHORPE UNITED 2 TOWN RESERVES 2
Town Reserves
Alex Smithies, Shane Killock, Robbie Williams (Spencer Harris 46), Jon Worthington (Liam Ridehalgh 61), David Unsworth, Chris Lucketti (c), Malvin Kamara, Lewis Nightingale, David Heagney, Danny Barlow, Dan Codman (Luke Durham 84)
Unused Substitutes: Damian Eastham, Leigh Franks
Scunthorpe United
Josh Lillis, Andrew Wright, Rory Coleman, Andy Crosby, Jake Picton, Jamie Bladen, Garry Thompson, Ian Morris (Danny Gibbons 89), Danny Wright (Jack Cross 84), Kevan Hurst, Michael Lea
Unused Substitutes: Callum Congreve, Sam Slocombe, Richard Dean
Booking: Josh Lillis (78)
