Yeovil Town climbed to the top of the npower League One table with an impressive 4-0 victory over Scunthorpe United at Glanford Park this afternoon.
Keanu Marsh-Brown had given the Glovers a first half lead before Reuben Reid added a second. Then, substitute Gozie Ugwu weighed in with a late double in the torrential rain to cap an emphatic victory over the side that lay bottom of the division at start of play.
The result extends the unbeaten competitive record of Gary Johnson’s men to four games, great preparation for a run of three successive home games starting with Premier League side West Bromwich Albion in the Capital One Cup second round on Tuesday.
It was one in, one out at Huish Park this week with defender Curtis Haynes-Brown joining AFC Wimbledon on loan while coming in was Chelsea starlet Archange Nkumu to provide cover in defence and midfield. The Stamford Bridge player joined the Glovers bench at Glanford Park with Johnson keeping the same starting eleven again.
The long-travelling visitors had the better of the first quarter of the game which was at times untidy but consisted mainly of Yeovil pressing constantly. Reid hit an effort that struck Iron defender David Mirfin on the hand but was adjudged by ref James Adcock to be accidental. Adcock then booked Yeovil’s Byron Webster and home defender Callum Kennedy for fouls.
Reid was looking sharp and curled one just wide halfway through the half but it certainly wasn’t all one way traffic. Bobby Grant saw his long range deflected for a corner and Ed Upson had to head a clearance over his bar after Mirfin’s header at goal looked set for the top corner. The big, no-nonsense defender was a threat at all set pieces and headed wide from another corner shortly after.
With ten minutes of the half remaining, Yeovil deservedly took the lead. Keanu Marsh-Brown struck for the second time this season when his low shot to the near post appeared to squirm under home gloveman Sam Slocombe. As the half closed, Town’s keeper Marek Stech saved well from Josh Walker’s free kick but the half ended in controversial circumstances. The ball had been knocked out to allow treatment to Iron defender Niall Canavan but instead of knocking the ball back to Stech, Walker tried his luck at goal and the big Czech keeper had to scramble back quickly to prevent a goal. Walker was then cautioned for his part in the farce.
The Glovers got off to a flyer in the second half when Richard Hinds found Ed Upson with a pass despite being fouled as he did so. Referee Adcock played the advantage rule well and Upson set up Reid for his first goal in Yeovil colours on fifty minutes.
On the hour mark, Stech proved once more just how good a keeper he really was with an amazing double save followed up with a third block. Grant was denied at point blank range before Stech got up to deny a follow up from Mark Duffy with another fantastic save. He then stopped another shot from Jimmy Ryan; three great stops in less than half a minute.
Johnson shuffled his pack by bringing on Gozie Ugwu and Lewis Young for Reid and Marsh-Brown respectively but it was another player, Upson, who almost scored when he robbed Robbie Gibbons and cleverly rounded the keeper but couldn’t get any pace on his shot, Slocombe saving.
Nathan Ralph came on for Nathan Foley with seven minutes left and he was heavily involved in Yeovil’s third goal. Canavan played the ball needlessly across his own goal area and James Hayter intercepted before laying the ball to Ralph. His shot was saved by Slocombe with Ugwu followed up and hammered the ball in for his first senior goal.
He didn’t have to wait for his second, and Yeovil’s fourth. Just four minutes in fact after more good work from Hayter. The experienced frontman flicked on well for Ugwu to meet it with a great finish to but a nice gloss on the final score.