FC Halifax Town controlled much of the ball against high flying Scunthorpe, this was much helped by the early dismissal of Brandon Horton, despite this it was the Iron who went ahead but things were quickly levelled as David Kawa struck his second in Halifax colours, despite complete domination resolute defending kept the Shaymen from claiming all three points at Glanford Park.
Just the one change was made for the Shaymen following their 2-1 defeat to Forest Green, as Jay Turner-Cooke was handed his first start in blue and white.
The home sides bench contained three ex town men, as Jean Belehouan, Dubem Eze and Billy Chadwick all had the chance to feature against their old side.
The early stages of this bank holiday fixture were controlled by the home side, and it took a smart stop from Sam Johnson to deny Oliver Ewing from a tight angle.
Halifax then carved out a chance of their own when Turner-Cooke slipped the ball into Sean Tarima, who in turn found Owen Bray. Bray looked to cut the ball back towards the onrushing Tarima, but his effort rose high over the Irons’ goal.
A free kick on the edge of the box gave Ewing another opportunity to test Johnson, his low strike forcing the keeper to tip the ball around the post for a corner.
With the sun beating down, a drinks break midway through the first half offered both sides a welcome breather. When play resumed, Turner-Cooke almost capped his full debut in style, watching a spectacular half-volley whistle just wide of the post.
Bray and Tarima’s link-up play in the first half was a bright feature, and it almost paid off when Bray found Tarima once more, only for his goal bound effort to be superbly blocked by a diving Andrew Boyce.
Halifax became the stronger side as the game went on, and they found it easier to control possession following the dismissal of Scunthorpe’s Brandon Horton. The 24-year-old appeared to strike David Kawa in the face during a scuffle in the box.
Despite going down to ten, it was the home side who took the lead early in the second half, after picking up the ball on the right he cut inside and evaded Adam Adetoro before firing home for 1-0.
The Iron could only hold onto this lead for two minutes as the Shaymen hit straight back, Latty-Fairweather burst past his man on the left before delivering a clipped ball to the back post where Tarima was waiting, his header fell to the feet of David Kawa who poked it home for his second goal in a Town shirt.
The last half an hour of the contest became a game of attack vs defence, the home side were completely camped in their own half, but the Town players were finding it hard to find any space.
With seven minutes added to the end of the ninety Halifax had one more chance to try to claim all three points, a well worked move resulted in a corner, Turner-Cooke delivered but Adetoro couldn’t convert. Following the restart of play the referees whistle signalled the end of play in the Lincolnshire heat.
Scunthorpe United
1 Maison Campbell, 2 Oliver Rose (4 Jean Belehouan 45 + 2), 3 Branden Horton, 5 Will Evans, 6 Andrew Boyce ©, 10 Callum Roberts (18 Max Brigan 68), 11 Joe Rowley, 14 Carlton Ubaezuonu, 17 Oliver Ewing (20 Kian Scales 68), 19 Mark Beck (7 Declan Howe 46 – 15 Duben Eze 86), 21 Joseph Starbuck
Subs: 31 Rory Watson, 23 Billy Chadwick
FC Halifax Town
1 Sam Johnson ©, 29 Sean Tarima (21 Zak Emmerson 89), 3 Adam Adetoro, 36 Thierry Latty-Fairweather, 30 Cody Johnson, 4 Will Hugill (11 Angelo Cappello 72), 27 Jay Turner-Cooke, 17 Owen Bray (25 Tom Pugh 85), 8 Josh Hmami, 10 Jamie Cooke, 22 David Kawa
Subs: 12 Nathaniel Ford, 14 Harvey Sutcliffe, 20 Jack Jenkins
Referee: Andrew Miller
Goals: Roberts 52, Kawa 55
Yellow Cards: C Johnson 17, Latty-Fairweather 40, Howe 52, Evans 58
Red Cards: Horten 40
Attendance: 5377 (347 away)
Scunthorpe United 1 FC Halifax Town 1
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