Scunthorpe United moved out of the League One relegation places for the first time this season as they defeated bottom side Crewe Alexandra on Saturday afternoon at Glanford Park.
A goal from Middlesbrough loanee Luke Williams was cancelled out by a strike from Crewe’s Nicky Ajose in the first half before Spanish defender Miguel Llera scored the winner late on to earn the Iron a vital three points in their battle to avoid the drop.
It was the visitors that started the game the better and they could have caught Scunthorpe out in the opening moments of game when a lovely passing move saw Ajose found out on the left but his ball was intercepted by Llera and went out for a corner, which was eventually cleared.
However, despite the early pressure from the away side, it was Scunthorpe that took the lead in the tenth minute when Paddy Madden was found out wide and cut the ball back to Williams, who made no mistake in calmly side footing the ball into the bottom corner.
Crewe might have been down but they were certainly not out and continued to put the Iron’s defence under pressure as the half wore on.
They deservedly got a reward for their start with half an hour gone when a good passing move saw Jamie Ness play in James Baillie on the right wing and he smashed the ball across goal for Ajose to tap into an empty net and level the game.
Both sides went in level at the break but Scunthorpe manager Mark Robins would be hoping for much improvement after a very lethargic half from his side.
Scunthorpe had the first chance of the second half when Williams hit a ball into the channel, which Hawkridge managed to keep in and the ball was eventually crossed to O’Neil, who sliced his shot wide from around twenty yards out.
Goalkeeper Sam Slocombe was then to thank for the game staying level when a superb free-kick from Ajose looked to be heading straight for the top corner before the Iron keeper used every inch of his six foot frame to brilliantly tip the shot onto the post and away from goal.
Paddy Madden was then played in with a ball over the top from Bishop and smashed the ball into the back of the net but the goal was disallowed for offside.
It was a sign that Scunthorpe were starting to look more of a threat and that greater attacking prowess eventually led to them regaining the lead on 77 minutes, when O’Neil managed to play the ball into the box and Llera was on hand to slide the ball home and put United back in control.
Scunthorpe held on for an important three points and now look towards the FA Cup Second Round Replay against Worcester City on Wednesday night.
Following the game, manager Robins said: “It wasn’t a good performance by any stretch of the imagination but it was a massively important one.”
Scunthorpe United: Slocombe, Brindley, Llera, Davey, Williams, Bishop, O’Neil, Madden, Williams, Hawkridge (Adelakun, 72), Taylor (Osbourne, 46)
Substitutes not used: Olejnik, Boyce, McAllister, Wootton
Crewe Alexandra: Garratt, Davis (Inman, 83), Ray, Dugdale, Turton (Cooper, 87), Baillie, Leigh, Ness, Ikpeazu, Ajose, Grant
Substitutes not used: Shearer, Atkinson, Cooper, Jones, Haber, Tate
Attendance: 3,006 (231 away)