Ivan Toney struck the only goal of the game as Scunthorpe moved into the League One play-off zone at the expense of opponents Charlton at The Valley.
The 1-0 win lifted the Iron up to fifth spot in the table, two points ahead of the lacklustre Addicks.
The game sprung into life in the 20th minute with a save at either end, Ben Amos first denying Hakeeb Adelakun and then Iron goalkeeper Matt Gilks thwarting Nicky Ajose moments later.
Scunthorpe made the breakthrough in the 31st minute when Adelakun beat the offside trap and burst clear on the right, squaring a low ball into the danger zone for Toney to tap home from six yards.
Josh Morris blazed a stoppage time free-kick over the crossbar from just outside the box as Scunthorpe finished the first half strongly.
Toney produced a super save from Amos five minutes after the restart when meeting Rory McArdle's free-kick and unleashing a powerful volley which the Charlton keeper did well to tip over.
Jake Forster-Caskey glanced a header wide and Ajose saw a curling effort fly just over as Charlton finally began to ask some questions.
Adelakun was only denied by a crucial block from Patrick Bauer and once more in the 71st minute when Amos had to save his goalbound attempt.
There were late penalty appeals from the hosts as Ajose and Bauer both claimed to have been pulled back in the box within the space of 60 seconds.
But both were ignored by referee Graham Salisbury and even though Ben Reeves and Tariqe Fosu went close at the death, in the end this was a far more comfortable victory than the scoreline suggests.
English League One Standings
POS | Team | GP | GD | PTS |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hull City | 22 | +16 | 42 |
2 | Lincoln City | 21 | +14 | 42 |
3 | Portsmouth | 21 | +22 | 41 |
4 | Doncaster Rovers | 20 | +14 | 39 |
5 | Peterborough United | 21 | +14 | 39 |
6 | Charlton Athletic | 23 | +5 | 36 |
7 | Crewe Alexandra | 23 | +5 | 35 |
8 | Ipswich Town | 20 | +4 | 35 |
9 | Sunderland | 21 | +11 | 33 |
10 | Accrington Stanley | 19 | +4 | 33 |
11 | Plymouth Argyle | 23 | -8 | 30 |
12 | Fleetwood Town | 22 | +7 | 29 |
13 | Gillingham | 22 | -3 | 29 |
14 | Oxford United | 20 | +3 | 28 |
15 | Milton Keynes Dons | 23 | 0 | 28 |
16 | Blackpool | 21 | -3 | 28 |
17 | Shrewsbury Town | 20 | -4 | 24 |
18 | Rochdale | 22 | -8 | 22 |
19 | Bristol Rovers | 20 | -9 | 22 |
20 | Northampton Town | 21 | -17 | 22 |
21 | AFC Wimbledon | 22 | -15 | 21 |
22 | Wigan Athletic | 21 | -14 | 20 |
23 | Swindon Town | 22 | -16 | 20 |
24 | Burton Albion | 24 | -22 | 16 |
League One News
Swindon midfielder hits incredible 30-yard screamer
Scott Twine scores with an outstanding hit from outside of the box for Swindon vs. Ipswich.
Lincoln City's comical own goal vs. Peterborough
Timothy Eyoma was the unlucky culprit in this own goal for Lincoln City vs. Peterborough United.
Accrington Stanley beat Charlton in League One
Colby Bishop shines in Accrington Stanley's 2-0 win against Charlton Athletic in English League One.
Fans share their experiences of discrimination in football
Fans in England tell Kick It Out about their experiences with being subject to, or encountering discrimination.
Marcotti breaks down the FA's post-Brexit transfer rules
Gab and Juls discuss the English FA's new points-based system to sign overseas players post-Brexit.
Football's mental health crisis: anxiety, eating disorders fears as players stay away from counselling
The PFA have identified a decline of more than 25% in members accessing the organisation's counselling services during the coronavirus pandemic.