Bishop’s Stortford suffer 6-1 defeat at Scunthorpe United in National League North

Gio McGregor’s quick equaliser was as good as it got for Bishop’s Stortford as they suffered a 6-1 defeat at Scunthorpe United on Saturday (October 28).

The midfielder’s third goal of the season was only a consolation as the Blues fell to their sixth straight Vanarama National League North loss.

The second-placed Iron, who spent the 2007-08 campaign in the Championship and reached the League One play-offs as recently as 2018, scored three in each half in front of a 3,610-strong crowd at Glanford Park.

Two bright spots for Blues were the returns from long-term injury of defender Sam Robbins and midfielder Ben Marlow, who both came on as second-half substitutes.

Stortford, who are winless in eight games in all competitions and have conceded three or more goals in seven of those eight contests, remain second from bottom.

Their only point on the road so far this term came in their first away match at Gloucester City on August 12.

Steve Smith’s men, who are due to host Witham Town in a friendly tomorrow (Tuesday October 31), are back in league action at home to 11th-placed Buxton this Saturday (November 4).

Connor Smith opened the scoring for the hosts - who had also six past Spennymoor Town in their previous outing - in the eighth minute. He cut in off the left wing and saw his right-footed shot go in off the underside of the bar.

But the Blues responded immediately as Harry Beadle nodded down Darren Foxley’s free kick and McGregor found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The home team restored their lead after half an hour when Reagan Ogle scored with a near-post glancing header from a corner.

They extended their advantage from another set piece as Will Evans headed home before Ogle was narrowly wide with another headed attempt on the stroke of half time.

Harrison Sodje saw his low shot saved by former Stortford goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons while, at the other end, Jack Giddens kept out Evans’ header.

But captain Giddens could only parry the Iron’s next effort into the path of Tyler Denton and he volleyed in their fourth goal after 63 minutes.

The full-time hosts’ fitness then began to tell as they continued to apply the pressure and Danny Whitehall netted their fifth from a low right-wing cross.

Giddens produced a double save to deny Smith and Whitehall at the end of a counter-attack before also thwarting Cameron Wilson.

And the Iron completed the scoring in the seventh minute of added time when Whitehall converted from the spot after Marlow was penalised for a foul on Smith which the Blues thought was outside the box.

Scunthorpe United: Fitzsimons, Ogle, Evans (Barrows 76), Boyce, Butterfield (Kelly 62), Scales, Smith, Jenkins, Law (Wilson 62), Denton, Whitehall. Not used: Bennett, Pugh.

Blues: Giddens, Haines, Sodje, Thomas, Beadle (booked 58), McGregor, Foxley (Robbins 66), Olufemi, Walker, Greene (Charles 46), Peters (Marlow 80). Not used: Parker, Messaoudin.

Attendance: 3,610.