The Iron returned to winning ways, as they defeated a spirited Bury 3-2 at Glanford Park to move back up to second in the Sky Bet League One table.
All of United’s goals arrived in the opening period, as Harry Toffolo, Stephen Dawson and Josh Morris all got on the scoresheet.
The Shakers’ battling attitude ensured the match would go right to the end as a contest, with them getting back to within one goal of the home side twice.
Graham Alexander made three changes going into the match, with Toffolo, Dawson and Tom Hopper replacing Duane Holmes, Hakeeb Adelakun and Paddy Madden respectively.
Craig Davies, signed from Wigan ahead of the game, began the match on the substitutes bench.
The Iron almost got off to the perfect start when Kevin van Veen raced through on goal after just 19 seconds. The Dutchman drove the ball low and hard, but he was foiled by the legs of Bury ‘keeper Rob Lainton.
It wouldn’t be long though before the deadlock was broken, and it came via an unlikely source. Morris’ corner from the right was initially cleared, straight into the path of Toffolo, whose deflected effort nestled in the bottom corner of the goal.
The game by this point had settled into a one-way traffic pattern, with the home side creating openings at will. Van Veen tried his luck again on 12 minutes, wriggling free prior to firing wide.
That second would arrive shortly after however and, it was a superb moment for the Scunthorpe skipper Dawson as he notched his first for the club. In similar fashion to Toffolo’s earlier finish, the Irishman lashed home into the far corner, following him finding space on the right.
The hosts were threatening to run riot and, the advantage could have been three if Neal Bishop’s close range header hadn’t have hit the inside of the opposing post.
Opportunities kept presenting themselves to Alexander’s side, as Hopper soon tested Lainton with a looping header from an in-swinging Morris free kick from the left.
United’s lead was then halved however, when George Miller planted a deflected shot into the back of the net after making his way into the penalty area.
That 2-1 scoreline didn’t last long though and, in much the same vein as his effort against Peterborough, Morris curled in another excellent free kick. The angle was far narrower this time around, but the outcome was the same, as the winger whipped the ball across goal and into the far corner.
Morris’ strike was the perfect tonic to end the half, as United went in ahead by two goals at the break.
The hosts set about adding a fourth to their total after the interval, and they went very close to doing so when Bishop glanced a near post header inches wide of the opposite corner of the goal.
Bury’s persistence was commendable and, on 67 minutes, they halved the scoreline once more. Substitute Kelvin Etuhu was the man who got it for the Shakers, with a finish off the post from inside the box.
New man Davies came on for his Iron debut 20 minutes from time, with his impact almost immediate. The frontman initially showed superb strength to hold onto possession, before delivering an exquisite pass into the path of Jordan Clarke, who’d bombed on from full back. Clarke then drew a fine stop out of Lainton from point blank, with the subsequent follow-up from Sam Mantom also repelled by the Bury man.
The visitors pushed for a late equaliser, but the Iron stood firm, to secure a crucial three points.
TEAM LINE-UPS
Scunthorpe United: Daniels, Wallace, Dawson, van Veen (Holmes, 87), Morris, Bishop, Hopper (Davies, 70), Toffolo, Mantom (Smallwood, 87), Goode, Clarke.
Substitutes not used: Anyon, Wiseman, Williams, Margetts.
Bury: Lainton, Bedeau, Brown, S Burgess (Etuhu, 46), Kay, Leigh, G Miller, Moore, Pope (I Miller, 77), Styles (Mackreth, 46), Vaughan.
Substitutes not used: Williams, C Burgess, Danns, Hope.
Attendance: 5,173.
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