SCUNTHORPE UNITED 2
NEWCASTLE UNITED 1
Coca-Cola Championship
Glanford Park
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Kick-off 7.45pm

Craig Hope reports from Glanford Park ...

FULL-TIME SUMMARY

NEWCASTLE United slipped to a second successive defeat despite dominating for large periods as Scunthorpe United ran out 2-1 victors at Glanford Park.

Martyn Woolford was The Iron's match-winning hero with his brace interspersed by Kevin Nolan's leveller; all of the goals coming during a pulsating second period.

The opener, on 53 minutes, arrived when diminutive striker Gary Hooper robbed Zurab Khizanishvili inside the area before showing a presence of mind to roll to the unmarked Woolford who slotted low beyond Steve Harper.

The visitors, looking to atone for Saturday's defeat Nottingham Forest, rallied and were on level terms on 65 minutes as Nolan climaxed a swift breakaway with a measured finish from 20 yards after Guthrie had supplied the killer pass.

But it was the hosts who would emerge unlikely winners as Woolford, formerly of York City, netted his second 11 minutes from time with the Magpies backline again exposed.

SECOND-HALF UPDATES (click refresh for latest)

That's it, Scunthorpe are 2-1 winners - Glanford Park erupts.

90+2min - Ranger swivels to release a shot on goal inside the area but Jones stands firm to block with the ball cannoning well clear of danger.

90+1min - A hopeful clearance somehow springs Jonathan Forte clear on goal. The striker steadies but, with just Harper to beat, draws a low side-footer the wrong side of the post from just eight yards out.

There will be four minutes for United to find an equaliser.

89min - United will not get a better chance than that to level! Again, it's Ryan Taylor arriving from deep in danger zone but the full-back can only glance wide of the target from point-blank range after Enrique had landed a teasing centre on his forehead.

87min - Nile Ranger replaces Danny Guthrie - one last throw of the dice?

85min - Guthrie looks to find Taylor with a driven ball from deep as the Scouse full-back pops up in the unfamiliar territory of The Iron penalty area. Taylor, having stolen a yard on Williams, looks to direct a first-time volley on goal but merely succeeds in slicing wide, albeit under pressure from Mirfin.

83min - Jonas darts in from the left but skuds a low shot wide of target from 20 yards - can United find a leveller?

79min - SCUNTHORPE GOAL (2-1): This has come against the run of play but again United are cut open at the back and MARTYN WOOLFORD fires low beyond the exposed Steve Harper from 12 yards after Sam Togwell had supplied the decisive pass - it's the midfielder's second of the evening.

77min - Nolan refuses to give up on Guthrie's wayward throughball and, after burning by the casual Jones, manages to dig out a cross from the right. The ball is headed for the brow of Andy Carroll but it's Marlon Harewood, attempting the spectacular, who twists his burly frame to hook wide from 10 yards - not a bad effort.

74min - Jonas gives chase to Enrique's threaded pass in behind Byrne. The Argentine looks to clip the ball above the sliding challenge of Mirfin but the defender manages to delfect away for a corner - that was a crucial challenge. Ryan Taylor's centre cuts through a clustered penalty area and runs away to safety.

71min - That Nolan goal has taken the wind out of the hosts' sails and you'd have to think, and hope, any winner would surely now be a Newcastle one!

70min - Giant defender Rob Jones follows Smith into the book for a late swipe on Carroll on halfway.

68min - Alan Smith is booked for a late slide on McCann and the skipper will miss the home game with Doncaster on Saturday.

65min - NEWCASTLE GOAL (1-1): And KEVIN NOLAN eventually gets his goal; the midfielder climaxing an incisive breakaway with Danny Guthrie supplying the inch-perfect pass for the 27-year-old to steer home into the bottom corner from 20 yards for his seventh of the season.

63min - Jose Enrique looks by far United's best bet down the left flank and the powerful Spaniard again causes problems for The Iron with a surging run and enticing centre which is forced behind by the head of Mirfin with Harewood and Carroll both steaming in. The corner, Enrique's, is deflected high to the far post but it's a home shirt which swipes clear.

62min - Chris Hughton senses the need to act and brings on Marlon Harewood with Geremi making way.

58min - United look to restore parity but Geremi, receiving a low cut back from Gutierrez, somehow manages to clear the stand with a left-foot swinger from just inside the area.

53min - SCUNTHORPE GOAL (1-0): This time, however, United are punished for their slack defending when Zurab, getting in a tangle underneath Williams' long forward punt, is robbed by the terrier-like Hooper inside the area. The young striker refuses to panic, though, and shows a presence of mind to roll a short pass to the supporting MARTYN WOOLFORD who is left with the simplest of tasks in slotting past a helpless Steve Harper from 12 yards.

51min - Gary Hooper, capitalising upon hesitancy from Danny Simpson, smashes a ferocious half volley into the side netting - the angle got the better of the 21-year-old.

47min - Enrique then comes within a whisker of breaking his Toon scoring duck when, carrying infield from the left, the Spaniard fizzes a left-footed effort just inches the wrong side of Murphy's frame with the Irishman beaten - that was so close.

46min - United are straight on the attack and Nolan feeds Carroll who has sprinted clear of marker Mirfin. However, the burly defender, nicknamed "The Ox", shows a turn of foot to get on level terms with the Geordie striker and slides to block Carroll's low effort from just inside the area.

FIRST-HALF UPDATES

An entertaining half, littered with chances at either end, is brought to a close with the game still goalless.

42min - At the other Andy Carroll does well to fashion a yard for the shot on the edge of the area after Kevin Nolan had zipped a forward pass into the striker's feet. Working the ball onto his left peg, Carroll disptaches a low curler which has Joe Murphy at full stretch to brush around the post - great effort. Nothing comes of the corner.

41min - But the best chance of the half falls to former York midfielder Martyn Woolford. Charging onto the scraps after the giant Jones had knocked down McCann's free-kick from deep, the 24-year-old, with the whole target to aim at, spooned a first-time effort wide of goal - it wasn't the best connection but that was terribly close to creeping inside the post.

36min - Kevin Nolan will wonder how he hasn't yet added to his six-goal tally! This time, from Gutierrez's left-wing pullback, the midfielder lashes a first-time, left-foot strike above the crossbar from just 10 yards out allowing The Iron to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

34min - McCann, unopposed, carries through the middle of the park. There are options aplenty for the Northern Ireland midfielder and he looks to have chosen the right one with a measured throughball to spring Sam Togwell clear. The Scouser has just Steve Harper to beat but tamely surrenders the chance with a first-time effort which the Toon stopper merely has to stoop to gather - that was a let-off for the Magpies.

32min - The Iron are coming into this now and United have faded since their bright opening.

29min - The hosts threaten with a swift breakaway down the left flank. Togwell lobs a forward pass beyond the reaches of a backpedalling Zurab and McCann and Woolford give chase. Simpson provides resistance to their forward charge and Woolford is forced to release a snap shot from just inside the area which bounces wide of Harper's goal.

26min - Again the visitors waste an opportunity from a corner with Ryan Taylor's deep centre nodded clear by 6ft 7ins centre-back Rob Jones, once of Gateshead.

22min - Will United pay the price for failing to turn this early supremacy into goals? Let's hope this pressure pays off before the break.

20min - The Magpies are continuing to control the game and Carroll and Nolan combine on the edge of The Iron area only for the Geordie striker's return pass, when perhaps he should have shot, to evade his team-mate with the home backline at sixes and sevens.

14min - But again the visitors regain control of the football and Jonas slips a pass wide to Enrique. The Spaniard has all the time in the world to pick out Nolan, at the near post, and the Scouse midfielder is only denied the opening goal when his cheeky flick is kept out by the shins of Murphy - this is all United!

13min - The blonde haired Josh Wright concedes the game's first corner as he swipes behind Ryan Taylor's low centre. Taylor's flag kick is poor allowing The Iron to clear. But possession is quickly recycled by United, Danny Guthrie arrows a low shot through bodies from 20 yards only for Kevin Nolan, unmarked and onside six yards from goal, to get his feet in a tangle with the ball spinning wide of danger.

11min - United have definitely started the brighter of the two sides - this is the response the Magpies talked about following Saturday's defeat at Nottm Forest.

8min - Steve Harper's first involvement is to comfortably pluck Gary Hooper's attempted chip to the safety of his chest - speculative at best from the 21-year-old striker.

5min - And Nolan goes agonisingly close to atoning for that earlier miss when, from Jose Enrique's wedged centre, the midfielder flashes a header on goal only for airborne Joe Murphy to leap and flap around the upright - great save. Ryan Taylor delivers the corner but the ball is low and Byrne hooks clear at the near post.

1min - There's an excellent early chance for United but Kevin Nolan's touch eludes him at the vital moment after Ryan Taylor's cross had made its way through home shirts and to his fellow Scouser, unmarked 12 yards from goal.

It still looks fairly blustery as Thre Iron get us started attacking the end where the 2,000 travelling Geordies are housed - United are wearing their unbeaten, yellow change kit.

TEAM NEWS

CHRIS Hughton makes two changes to the side which was beaten at Nottingham Forest on Saturday with Jonas Gutierrez and Geremi coming in for Peter Lovenkrands and Marlon Harewood.

Argentine winger Gutierrez had to settle for a place on the bench at the City Ground having only returned from international duty in South America on the evening before the game.

Geremi, meanwhile, hasn't started since the 3-1 win over Plymouth last month.

The Cameroon star is likely to line up on the right-hand side of a four-man midfield with skipper Alan Smith and Danny Guthrie occupying the central berths, Gutierrez on the left.

Six-goal top scorer Kevin Nolan will operate in an advanced role supporting lone frontman Andy Carroll.

Jose Enrique, centre-backs Danny Simpson and Zurab Khizanishvili and Ryan Taylor complete the back four.

TEAMS

SUFC: Joe Murphy, Cliff Byrne, David Mirfin, Rob Jones (c), Marcus Williams, Martyn Woolford, Sam Togwell, Grant McCann, Josh Wright, Gary Hooper, Paul Hayes
Subs: Sam Slocombe, Andrew Wright, Matt Sparrow, Garry Thompson, Jonathan Forte, Jordan Spence, Niall Canavan

NUFC: Steve Harper, Ryan Taylor, Zurab Khizanishvili, Danny Simpson, Jose Enrique, Danny Guthrie, Alan Smith (c), Kevin Nolan, Jonas Gutierrez, Geremi, Andy Carroll
Subs: Tim Krul, Tamas Kadar, Marlon Harewood, Nile Ranger, Peter Lovenkrands, Ryan Donaldson, Ben Tozer

PRE-MATCH NEWS

We're in position at Glanford Park and it looks as though the elements could play a big part here tonight.

The stands are only 13-rows deep and, with a swirling wind whistling around North Lincolnshire, there promises to be a blustery feel to tonight's game.

On the team news front, boss Chris Hughton has conceded that centre-back pairing Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini are likely to miss the game.

Coloccini has been absent since succumbing to a groin problem at Ipswich last month while Taylor picked up a hamstring injury in training during the international break.

The Argentine is likely to return for Saturday's visit of Doncaster Rovers, while the trip to Sheffield United a week on Monday has been penciled in for Taylor.

Joey Barton (foot) and Shola Ameobi (foot) remain long-term casualties.

For the hosts, Grant McCann and Josh Wright have both shaken off knocks picked up in the 3-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday.

But Northern Ireland international midfielder Michael O'Connor misses out because of suspension.