Iron fist lands Latics a KO blow
Reporter: by TONY BUGBY
Date published: 28 January 2009
PROMOTION RIVALS PILE ON AWAY-DAY MISERY
Scunthorpe 2, Athletic 0
IT wasn’t as bad as the Hereford horror show, but Athletic’s defeat at Scunthorpe United was another deeply disappointing display away from home.
This clash of the promotion rivals at Glanford Park saw Scunthorpe inflict a painful result on John Sheridan’s side, who have slipped from third to sixth in Coca-Cola League One.
Athletic performed so admirably at home to Stockport County on Saturday, but it was an altogether different story here.
They allowed Scunthorpe to take control from the off, with Paul Hayes having the home side’s first attempt on goal after only 12 seconds.
Athletic never recovered from an abject opening, in which they conceded twice in the first 33 minutes and spent most of the first half chasing shadows.
Sheridan had no complaints about the defeat and is now considering fielding different starting XIs for home and away games.
He said: “I thought Scunthorpe were the better team on the night and the goals they scored were down to poor defending.
“As I have mentioned before I will have to look at the team which plays away from home.
“Even if we win games at home, I will have to be brave to make decisions to play different personnel when we play away.
“We knew Scunthorpe would come at us and play at a good tempo and we didn’t react.
“We had one of two little openings, but we would have been flattered to have taken something from the game.”
Athletic spent most of the opening quarter of the game on the back foot, so it was no surprise when Scunthorpe went ahead with a retaken free-kick from Grant McCann.
McCann, who was booked for taking the free-kick before referee Jon Moss’s whistle, this time sent the ball rocketing into the top corner from 25 yards.
Scunthorpe doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Gary Hooper scored his 19th goal of the season.
Hayes released Hooper on the right side of the penalty area and the striker slotted the ball in off the near upright.
Athletic thought they had reduced the deficit six minutes before the break when Danny Whitaker’s free-kick was glanced home by Iron defender David Mirfin.
But the referee’s assistant had his flag raised and, after a chat between Moss and his colleague, the goal was ruled out as an Athletic player was adjudged to have been offside when Whitaker floated the ball into the penalty area.
Athletic produced their best move of the opening half in the dying seconds when Whitaker released Deane Smalley, whose fiercely-struck shot from the right side of the penalty area was kept out by the outstretched right leg of Joe Murphy.
The opening period proved a fractious affair with Moss booking five players, including Reuben Hazell, Dean Windass, Smalley and Chris Taylor as Athletic, at times, lost their discipline.
Athletic enjoyed more of the ball in the second half, but they were unable to claw their way back into the game.
But it might have been a different story had Lee Hughes found the net.
Hughes somehow contrived to head wide from two yards out when he seemed certain to convert a probing left-wing cross from Scott Golbourne.
Scunthorpe remained a threat on the break and had chances to add to their tally.
’Keeper Greg Fleming made four important saves to deny Matt Sparrow, Hooper, substitute Sam Togwell and Garry Thompson.
Sheridan threw on Lewis Alessandra late on — the young striker scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Scunthorpe earlier in the season — and Andy Liddell in a final attempt to find a way back into the game.
But the pair were unable to orchestrate a comeback.
Sheridan slams ‘overweight’ referee
ATHLETIC manager John Sheridan launched an extraordinary personal attack on referee Jon Moss after last night’s defeat at Scunthorpe United, accusing him of being “overweight”.
Sheridan was annoyed after Moss controversially disallowed a goal for offside when the ball was headed into his own net by Iron defender David Mirfin.
He said the referee did not know the rule, claiming there was no interference from any of the Athletic players when the ball went in off Mirfin following a free-kick from Danny Whitaker.
Sheridan (pictured) added: “I would have liked him (the referee) to keep up with play more as he looked overweight, and I am being serious.
“He was behind the game a lot and looked overweight, and that is not being sarcastic.
“The game was played at a very fast tempo and he couldn’t keep up with play at times.”
