SUPERB RESPONSE TO REPORT COMPETITION
You have been emailing in your numbers to our Kid Zone competition, which saw young Iron fans send us their match reports from last Saturday's game against Southampton.
We were incredibly impressed by four entries in particular, but there has to be a winner.
James Moody, aged 12, wins a signed photograph of his favourite player after sending in the following report:
Scunthorpe United 1-1 Southampton
Crosby 41
Vignal (pen) 88
Crosby missed pen 41
Sent Off:Sparrow 54
(Serious Foul Play)
A late, mysterious penalty from Gregory Vignal prevented 10 man Scunthorpe from climbing off of the foot of the table.
Scunthorpe had an extra four days to prepare for the game after the game in mid-week versus Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux had been postponed (re-arranged to Tuesday 18th March 2008).
Both teams came into the tie on the back of defeats. Scunthorpe stuck with the same team that lost 3-2 to Stoke at The Britannia Stadium with skipper Andy Crosby making his 700th League appearance of his career at centre-back and Geoff Horsfield passing a late fitness test to keep Paul Hayes on the sidelines.
Southampton's striker Bradley Wright-Phillips, son of legendary ex-Arsenal striker Ian Wright and brother of Chelsea's Shaun, had to settle for a place on the bench ahead of the game. Inigo Idiakez and Jhon Viafara came in for Wright-Phillips and Jason Euell and Ian Pearce, new manager Nigel Pearson's first signing, making his debut coming in for injured Darren Powell who was ruled out with a calf injury.
The game kicked off by Southampton with Scunthorpe playing from left to right in the first half. The first few minutes were slow starting with the ball kicked constantly from one end of the field to the other and no clear cut chances being created.
The first real chance of the game fell in Scunthorpe's direction to Martin Paterson after 12 minutes. He hit over after persistence from loanee striker Geoff Horsfield as he prevented the Saints defence from clearing.
Just thirty seconds later, there was a minor claim for a penalty, mainly from the Iron supporters. Jack Hobbs, played in the ball to the middle from his own half, it was flicked on by Andy Butler and Matt Sparrow seemed to be pulled down just as he was about to control.
The first real shot from Southampton came on 24 minutes when Saganowski drilled in a shot from 40 yards which was comfortably saved by Iron stopper Joe Murphy. Within seconds the Iron were back up the other end and Geoff Horsfield had an effort from 20 yards which was similarly saved by Kelvin Davis.
As the first half drew on the game became scrappy with Scunthorpe bossing most of the play. The game seemed to be in stop-start motion as the flag kept thwarting mainly Paterson's runs. The Iron lacked the final ball in the last third and the 12th men were hoping that it wouldn't cost them later on in the game.
On forty minutes United were gifted a huge chance to go in front when Martin Paterson fell under Jhon Viafara's tackle. It seemed like a soft one to give but referee Jonathan Moss had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Up stepped penalty king Andy Crosby, who, after 700 career league appearances deserved a goal on this day. He placed the penalty to the Kelvin Davis' right, Davis parried the ball out but Crosby was on hand to rebound his effort into the back of the net. It was actually the first time that Andy Crosby had ever missed a penalty in them entire 700 games.
That was Crosby's fourth goal of the season and third goal from open play. That saw Scunthorpe go in at half time a goal to the good with Crosby and his team mates (and the crowd) beaming.
Scunthorpe came out for the second half without Jack Hobbs, he was replaced by Izzy Iriekpen making his comeback in first team football after recovering from an injury.
The Iron were the team that started brightly as the bossed the opening plays of the second half but they never really made any meaningful chances.
It was actually Southampton who had the first effort on goal in the second half when Marek Saganowski drilled a right-footed shot that went over Joe Murphy's crossbar.
On 54 minutes the Iron had a set back in the game. Matt Sparrow was given a straight red card for what was deemed Serious Foul Play. He had lost his balance after a tackle from Wayne Thomas and seemed to follow through. The referee saw this as a lunge and sent him to the dressing room.
On 63 minutes, Wayne Thomas had a speculative effort from range but fortunately miss hit it and it landed in the hands of Murphy.
Southampton had a huge chance to equalise on 80 minutes when Adam Hammill found space only for his curling shot to narrowly go wide of Murphy's right hand post.
Two minutes later, they had a glorious chance to equalise when Jonathan Moss once again pointed to the spot in an off the ball incident involving Andy Butler and Bradley Wright-Phillips. The linesman spotted it (he was probably the only one that did), and even though it has been thought to have been given for a shirt pull the officials are the only people that know the real reason.
That spot-kick gave Gregory Vignal a superb opportunity to rescue the Saints a point. He took it with confidence, slotting it to Murphy's left as he dived to his right.
After that each team began to settle for a point, but both teams did have one last bang at the door as they fought to breach the defences one last time. Jack Cork's in swinging cross saw Ben May rise up, but he failed to connect and the ball went out of play.
Moments after, Southampton went up the other end and twice fired shots which both went marginally wide from Inigo Idiakez and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
There were to be no more chances in the game and Jonathan Moss blew for full time. The referee's left the pitch being jeered and booed by the Iron supporters after the red card and the penalty being decided by the referee and the same linesman. That gave Southampton boss Nigel Pearson his first point as the new manager of Southampton.
Scunthorpe: Murphy, Hobbs (Iriekpen 46), Williams, Crosby, Sparrow,Goodwin, Paterson (May 89), Horsfield (Forte 67), Cork, Butler, Morris.
SUBS NOT USED: Lillis, Hayes.
Southampton: Davis, Thomas (Wright-Phillips 70), Saganowski, Wright, Surman (Hammill 57), Viafara (Licka 79), Vignal, Idiakez, John, Pearce, Davies.
SUBS NOT USED: Poke, Euell.
Referee:Mr Jonathan Moss (West Yorkshire)
Ass. Referees:Mr Craig Evans (Lincolnshire)
Mr Wayne Grunnill (East Yorkshire)
Fourth Official:Mr Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
Match Facts
Date: 23rd February 2008
Kick-Off: 15:00
Venue: Glanford Park
Comp: Coca Cola Championship
