Gary Hooper's brace helps Scunthorpe United to a 3-0 win which surely puts an end to any lingering play-of hopes.

Colchester United's play-off ambitions ended at Glanford Park this afternoon as they were beaten 3-0 by Scunthorpe United. The home side went in to the break a goal up thanks to Gary Hooper's goal and a further two more goals meant that the U's will be playing League One football in the afternoon. The scoreline flattered The Iron, but they took their chances whilst the U's fluffed theirs.
Not surprisingly, Paul Lambert kept the same side that had drawn at Leicester City last weekend - a game that Lambert felt thay should have won. There were changes on the subs bench though with Simon Hackney and Lewis Gobern replacing Wasiu and Wordsworth.
United started brightly with Mark Yeates upset after his cross was not attacked by a yellow-shirted player in the first minute. Scunthorpe keeper Joe Murphy had to touch a Karl Hawley shot behind for a corner making perhaps more of it than he should have done but the home keeper was alert to save from Platt's header on the quarter hour mark.
A minute later came Scunthorpe's first chance of the matche with Mark Cousins equal to a shot from Paul Hayes who scored a tremendous goal at Layer Road a few season's ago. The U's keeper was again in the right place to deal with a Henri Lansbury shot which bounced once before going through to the keeper
With nine minutes of the half remaining, the home side took the lead thanks to former Southend & Grays striker Gary Hooper. His 28th striker of the season came as he broke the U's offside trap, and despite the attentions of Neal Trotman, took it round Mark Cousins to fire in to the empty net. United came under pressure until the end of the ghalf with Hurst and Sparrow both having shots blocked by an over-worked U's defence. However, they could feel themselves unlucky to be going in to the dressing rooms not on level terms.
The U's thought they should have had a penalty five minutes after the re-start. Mark Yeates came back on to his right foot and was clearly clipped by the Scunthorpe United defender but the referee was having none of it. At the other end, it was Hayes looking a penalty after his shot was blocked by Pat Baldwin - and by his hand according to the former Barnsley striker.
Scunthorpe, with an eye on their Wembley appearance next weekend, replaced Hurst with Sam Togwell just before the hour mark, and almost immediately, the lead was doubled. United were caught out by a quick long through and that man Hooper made no mistake by firing past the exposed Cousins.
The North Essex side almost pulled a goal back immediately but Hawley's long-range shot came back off the crossbar with Murphy well beaten. Izzet then tried his luck from distance as well but despite his protestations, the midfielder did not get the corner he wanted.
United made a double substitution with 25 minutes remaining with David Perkins and Kem Izzet withdrawn to allowe Johnnie Jackson and Lewis Gobern to come on. They only came on to see Scunthorpe extend the lead to three though, as Scunthorpe turned defence into attack with deadly accuracy. United were on the attack before a clearance from the back saw Hayes away. He found Arsenal's U19 England International Henri Lansbury (who I think scored the goal at The Weston Home Community Stadium when England met Germany) who fired past the U's keeper with Cousins having no chance.
There was a further blow for the U's as Jackson, who had only come on four minutes earlier, was replaced by Hackney after suffering an injury. Yeates shot straight at Murphy while Platt turned a half chance wide from 12 yards. Irons manager Neil Adkins took Hooper off and replaced him with former U's loanee Ben May but, with their Johnston's Paint Trophy final against Luton next Sunday in their minds, he was content to play out the remaining 20 minutes or so.

U's: Cousins, Maybury, Trotman, Baldwin, Tierney, Perkins, Hammond, Izzet, Yeates, Platt, Hawley
Subs: Gerken, White, Jackson, Hackney, Gobern
Scunny: Murphy, Wright, Mirfin, Pearce, Williams, Lansbury, Sparrow, Trotter, Hurst, Hayes, Hooper
Subs: Siocombe, Crosby, Woolford, Togwell, May.

Photo: Action Images

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