Scunthorpe United 2 Doncaster Rovers 3: Flynn delighted by team ethic as Rovers beat snow to surge clear

DONCASTER Rovers took full advantage of their rivals’ enforced inactivity to go five points clear at the top.
Chris Brown celebrates after scoring his side's third goalChris Brown celebrates after scoring his side's third goal
Chris Brown celebrates after scoring his side's third goal

Sheffield United’s fourth-versus-second encounter against Brentford was the highest-profile casualty of the weather.

But Rovers’ victory means that even if the Blades win their two games in hand, they will still be a point shy of their neighbours.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shrewsbury’s meeting with Oldham, Crawley’s game with Crewe and Colchester’s encounter with MK Dons were also postponed.

Swindon Town moved into the second automatic promotion place with a goalless draw at home to Notts County.

But what happened elsewhere will be of little concern to manager Brian Flynn’s table-toppers.

The game at Glanford Park survived a lunchtime inspection and there was soon more good news for Rovers when David Mirfin’s own goal and a strike from Iain Hume put them two goals ahead only for Mark Duffy to reduce the deficit late in the first half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chris Brown netted Doncaster’s third shortly after the restart and, despite a late goal from Karl Hawley, the visitors held on for three points.

Flynn said: “Our team ethic was excellent. That was the biggest thing to come out of the game. Another seven games like this and we’ll be okay.

“I thought we started brightly. Scunthorpe start games strongly and we needed to match their start, and we did in the first and second half.

“I don’t like games in hand, I prefer the points and the pitch played really well.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“When I woke up Saturday morning and I saw what was outside I thought there was no chance of the game going ahead, but it’s been good and the groundstaff must be congratulated.”

Scunthorpe chief Brian Laws was left to bemoan: “I can’t believe that this is two games we’ve played Doncaster and conceded two own goals on the far post, by just the basics.

“You can’t legislate for that, there’s no planning in that, it was just one of those things, but it doesn’t half give you a jolt.

“You can see from that moment on that players were starting to panic a bit, they weren’t composed, and Doncaster had their tails up and we had ours down.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Struggling Scunthorpe, whose performance belied their lowly position, are without a win in four and remain a point off safety in 21st spot, and the team immediately above them, Oldham, have two games in hand.

The game had got the go-ahead thanks to the mammoth effort of the Scunthorpe groundstaff and a few dozen volunteers who cleared the Glanford Park pitch of snow.

Temperatures may have still been freezing, but Rovers took little warming up.

A superb cross from David Cotterill ran through to James Husband on the left corner of the area and he hit a fine first-time effort which flew straight at Iron goalkeeper Eirik Johansen.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Another cross from Cotterill caused havoc for Scunthorpe and led to Rovers taking a fifth-minute lead.

Johansen did not claim the Welshman’s delivery and the ball fell to Mirfin, who side-footed into his own net from two yards out.

Scunthorpe enjoyed a period of pressure without producing a chance of note.

Rovers roared back as they were allowed plenty of time on the flanks. Hume charged down the right and cut across the face of the area before drilling an effort which went straight into Johansen’s hands.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Captain Rob Jones met Cotterill’s corner and powered a header on goal, but Hume got in the way on the line and Scunthorpe scrambled clear.

Rovers failed to punish hesitancy from the hosts until late in the half when they doubled their tally on 39 minutes.

Scunthorpe’s attempt at an offside trap was woeful as Jones clipped a ball forward, leaving Hume one-on-one and he calmly slotted into the bottom corner.

Out of the blue, the hosts pulled a goal back four minutes from the break when Duffy curled an excellent free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scunthorpe replaced Mirfin with Niall Canavan at the break, but the switch failed to prevent Rovers calming the nerves of their fans with a third goal just three minutes into the second half. The ball was cleared from the area to Husband, who crossed low and Brown charged in to sidefoot home from close range.

Rovers sensed a rout, but a period of intense pressure was short-lived as Scunthorpe began to press in midfield.

Duffy found space for a shot 20 yards out with the ball taking a deflection off Jamie McCombe and looping just over.

Rovers looked strong on the counter and when Brown’s shot was blocked the rebound found Hume, who sent his first time strike wide.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At the other end, it took a superb last-ditch tackle from Paul Quinn to stop substitute Andy Barcham after he charged into the area.

Rovers began to sit back and it enabled Scunthorpe to score again five minutes from time.

The ball bounced around the area before Duffy knocked it on and Hawley scuffed the rebound past the helpless Woods.

Scunthorpe pushed hard momentarily after their second lifeline, but Rovers showed composure to maintain possession and see the game out.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scunthorpe United: Johansen; Nolan, Mirfin (Canavan 46), Reid, Newey; Duffy, Collins, Ryan, Forde (Barcham 52); Sodje (Grella 71), Hawley. Unused substitutes: Severn, Ribeiro, Hornsey, Alabi.

Doncaster Rovers: Woods; Quinn, McCombe, Jones, Spurr; Cotterill, Coppinger, Lundstram, Husband; Brown, Hume (Paynter 83). Unused substitutes: Sullivan, Wilson, Wakefield, Sinclair, Griffin, Bennett.

Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).

Man of the match: Iain Hume.

Related topics: