Battling Buxton hold Scunthorpe United to a draw

The crowd was comfortably the biggest of the season to date, beating the opening day's 1,072 against Boston and the weather conditions were more favourable, though a strong wind blew down the pitch to the Ashwood End, attacked first by the hosts.

There were three changes to the starting line-up, two of them forced by suspension. AFC Fylde loanee Tom Walker returned after his three-month injury absence in place of winger Will Bapaga, while Curtis Weston returned to midfield instead of Connor Kirby. One recently-recruited loanee midfielder, Max Brogan, replaced another temporary signing, George Horbury. A strong substitute's bench featured Sam Osborne who was preferred to Eoin McKeown.

The Bucks had their two best scoring chances in the opening quarter-hour, the first coming as early as the fourth minute. Debutant Max Brogan figured in a four-man passing move that began on the left flank and, at the far post, reached home debutant winger, Dylan Mottley-Henry, (on loan from South Shields), who all but squeezed the ball home at the far post. Then Max Hunt latched onto a loose ball 19 yards out but, lacking composure, blasted high and wide.

As the second quarter of the match developed, Iron's quicksilver midfield, impressing with movement off the ball, took control (undoubtedly much to the approval of the watching Ken Shirley,the all-time 'great' midfielder of yesteryear). Yet the hard-working hosts limited Scunthorpe to very few clear chances. Home skipper Josh Granite was a rousing leader of his defensive troops, who remained resolute and error-free throughout.

Having enjoyed at least a reasonable share of the first-half possession, the Bucks faced the wind thereafter and had to withstand the Iron's dominance, which did not, however, force Max Dearnley into major action.

Ex-Bradford City midfielder Scales sent a diagonal cross low and untouched through the penalty area, while Butterfield delivered a 19-yard ground shot narrowly wide and Smith headed over the target with a beyond-the-far-post header from right-back Ogle's long cross.

For Buxton, the combative Jake Wright who was already on a yellow card, seemed to receive a final referee's warning but the first change after an hour introduced Osborne for Walker before, nine minutes later, Horbury replaced Jak McCourt and Tommy Elliott came on for Wright in a more forward role than usual. He looked the most likely to unlock the door of the visiting rearguard. (A pre-match twinge prevented Diego De Girolamo's deployment).

The Bucks had a strong but vain penalty appeal (afterwards confirmed by a Scunthorpe defender) in the 79th minute when Mottley-Henry was brought down and from then the hosts looked more threatening again. Substitute Horbury's determinedly-made 17-yard central drive found 'keeper Fitzsimons, while the first home corner close to regular full-time produced a goalmouth scramble. The end was delayed by the referee's odd addition of three minutes to the five extra already allocated.

Yet Buxton were glad enough to take four points and keep two clean sheets from the clubs' two league meetings, as well as all but winning the controversially abandoned match in September. The result maintains the season's good record versus the leading clubs and also 15th place in the table, just five points behind faltering seventh-placed Curzon Ashton.