REPORT: Iron 1-2 Boreham Wood

Following an impressive performance and result against Sutton United on Saturday, United would face their toughest test of the campaign yet this evening when they welcomed the only unbeaten team remaining in the Enterprise National League, Boreham Wood.

With regard to the United team news, there were two enforced alterations to Andy Butler’s side. Left-back Tyler Denton returned to the Starting XI to replace Branden Horton, who dropped out of the side with a knock. Elsewhere, a change on the flanks as Saturday's second-goal scorer Ty Sellars-Fleming returned to the wing in place of the injured Dec Howe. Finally, new signing James Bailey was selected for the bench after joining on loan from Stockport County.

When proceedings were set underway after a long wait for the go-ahead, Boreham Wood set about executing their game plan, controlling possession in the early exchanges and forcing United into some backs-to-the-wall defending, shuffling the pack well to deal with the relentless Boreham Wood attack.

The first opportunity of the game would fall to the Wood within the opening ten minutes when a well-worked move down the right flank allowed room for Jay Bird to receive a low cross into the area, steaming onto the ball before blazing an effort high over the crossbar from a matter of yards out, squandering a golden chance for the visitors.

With the Wood still consistently threatening, their next opportunity would come through a sensational set-piece routine that saw Zak Brunt dummy a low corner cross, with the ball falling kindly for Tanzanian international Tarryn Allarakhia, whose low driven effort was destined for the bottom corner if not for the goal line intervention of Tyler Denton to keep the scores level.

With the Iron narrowly holding onto the deadlock, they would have chances of their own to hurt their opponents, especially when they flooded forward for the first time just beyond the 20-minute mark, working the ball into the path of Sellars-Fleming at the far post, who set himself with a touch out his feet before whipping the ball towards the far post, sending goalkeeper Luca Gunter scrambling across his goal line as the effort dropped narrowly over.

As half-time approached at the Attis Arena, the visitors’ hunt for the opener continued, and they came their closest yet when a perfectly placed free-kick on the edge of the area was laid off to Boreham Wood’s star man Zak Brunt with space to shoot, stinging an effort towards the far post that had Campbell well beaten but dropped marginally wide of the mark.

Having done the hard part of weathering the expected first-half storm, Scunthorpe would return for the second period with hopes of now taking the game to their opponents, although it would get off to the worst possible start.

Merely 15 seconds into the second period, United would find themselves behind after Wood won the initial contact in the Scunthorpe half, laying the ball off to Brunt again on the edge of the area, who arrowed a sensational low strike into the bottom corner.

This opener served as a wake-up call for the Iron, who sprang to life and got straight back on the horse as they searched for a quick-fire leveller. Coming very close to doing so less than a minute later when Luke Brennan’s far post delivery saw both Danny Whitehall and Ty Sellars-Fleming manhandled by recovering Wood defenders, with the latter managing to get contact with the cross but failing to test Gunter as the ball rolled into his grasp.

Despite United growing into the encounter, Campbell would still be called into action at the other end of the pitch to keep the score at 1-0. He would be the Iron’s hero when Tarryn Allarakhia broke through the Scunthorpe defence to latch onto a loose ball, driving into the penalty area before drawing a crucial one-on-one save from Campbell, who spread himself wide to deny.

The game’s next action would see the equaliser that United desired. Coming from a set-piece, Jacob Butterfield’s near-post cross to the front post was pinpointed to the head of Sellars-Fleming in the area, who beat his marker in the air to flick the ball towards the far post, beating the outstretched Gunter for the Hull City loanees’ second goal in as many games.

With 70 minutes played in a tale of two halves, Scunthorpe continued to grow in confidence and really should’ve taken the advantage when a route one ball forward from Campbell found the head of Whitehall in the Wood half, forcing a mistake out of the disjointed defence and allowing Kyle Hurst to storm into the penalty area. Opting for a side-footed finish, Hurst would have half the stadium already celebrating as the ball left his boot, although the effort was misplaced as it narrowly evaded the bottom corner.

As United continued to pile on the pressure, their next opportunity would come from another set-piece as Danny Whitehall stood over a free-kick from 25 yards, perfect territory for the experienced striker who looked to beat Gunter with a fantastic curling effort that forced the Tottenham Hotspur loanee to tip the effort over the crossbar.

Despite a 15-minute period of utter dominance from Scunthorpe, all their hard work would be undone with just three minutes of normal time remaining. After giving away a cheap, needless free-kick on half-way, Boreham Wood would clip the ball towards the back post, allowing for an attacking knock-down across the face of goal where debutant winger Ben Whitfield would be waiting to turn the ball home and break United hearts.

Following this goal, it would be too little too late for United, who despite a spirited second-half performance against the league’s front runners, were unable to get anything from the encounter. However, plenty of positives to take for Butler’s boys who have been showing major signs of improvements over the last week.

IRON: Campbell, Evans, Whitehall (Parker, 77), Brennan (Ogle, 66), Rowley, Ashbee, Sellars-Fleming, Hurst (Gale, 77), Starbuck, Butterfield (Beestin, 66), Denton

IRON SUBS: L. Jones, Bailey, Barrows

ATTENDANCE: 4052 (60 Away_

REFEREE: Aaron Jackson