Saturday 8th November| Enterprise National League | Attis Arena
A gift for Tyrell Sellars-Fleming in the first half was enough to separate the sides in this Enterprise National League encounter.
Following Tuesday’s defeat against Wealdstone, Richard Dryden made several changes, with Alex Whittle, Kyle Ferguson, Josh Sims, and Harvey Greenslade all returning to the starting XI. Ferguson was in the thick of the action early on, receiving a yellow card in just the third minute. Scunthorpe, with a free-kick midway into the Yeovil half, clipped the ball into the area, but it caused no real danger.
The first strike at goal came at the other end when Jake Wannell picked up a loose ball around 25 yards from goal and fired a low effort just wide of Mahady’s right post. Wannell had to be alert moments later at the opposite end, halting Declan Howe, who had found space inside the area. After those early openings, the game settled into a midfield battle, with neither side creating any clear-cut chances.
The deadlock was broken in the 22nd minute in calamitous fashion for the Glovers. A strong pass from Wannell to Ferguson saw the defender backpedalling before a wayward pass towards Ward was intercepted by Danny Whitehall. Whitehall composed himself and rolled the ball into the path of Tyrell Sellars-Fleming, who tapped home from close range to make it 1-0. Scunthorpe could have doubled their lead a few minutes later when an attack down the right was cleared only as far as Alfie Beestin, but his effort flew over the bar.
As the half progressed, Yeovil began to find some rhythm going forward. In the 39th minute, an inviting cross from James Plant just evaded Josh Sims, who was unable to connect at the back post. Moments later, Plant created his own opportunity, curling an effort towards the top-right corner, only for Rory Mahady to produce a fine save, clawing the ball away. From the resulting corner, Wannell rose highest at the back post, but his header was comfortably gathered by Mahady.
Half Time: Scunthorpe United 1-0 Yeovil Town
The break saw two substitutions for Yeovil, including a debut for Dan Ellison, with Aaron Jarvis also introduced in place of Josh Sims and Kyle Ferguson. Ellison quickly made his presence felt, picking up a yellow card just two minutes into the half for a heavy challenge midway into the Yeovil half. Moments later, Jarvis met a cross from James Plant on the left, but his header looped over the crossbar. Another cross, this time from Michee Efete in the 53rd minute, was safely collected by Mahady.
Just after the hour mark, Scunthorpe had their best chance of the second half when a flurry of shots were blocked by Dan Ellison before Zain Westbrooke’s lofted effort looped just over the bar. Yeovil then made a third change as Junior Morias replaced Harvey Greenslade.
As the half wore on, Yeovil continued to press for an equaliser. The standout opportunity fell to Jarvis, who controlled the ball on the edge of the box before turning and firing low towards goal, but Mahady got down well to make the save. The Glovers made their final changes with just over ten minutes remaining, as James Daly and Tahvon Campbell replaced Alex Whittle and Max Jolliffe.
In the 84th minute, Campbell went close when Morias drifted a cross from the right towards the back post, but his header was again saved by Mahady, who looked unbeatable on the afternoon. Campbell had another sight of goal moments later, finding space around 20 yards out, but his shot flew wide of the post.
Despite five additional minutes at the end, the hosts stood firm from the 22nd minute onward to claim all three points in North Lincolnshire.
Full-Time: Scunthorpe United 1-0 Yeovil Town
Scorers:
Scunthorpe United – Tyrell Sellars-Fleming (22′)
Yeovil Town –
The Glovers are back at Huish Park on Saturday 15th November when they host Southend United in the Enterprise National League.
