Scunthorpe 0-2 Oldham: Iron down to National League North

Jimmy Dean was brought in as Scunthorpe United manager in January but he has been unable to save the Iron from relegation

Scunthorpe United's second successive relegation was confirmed after they fell to a home defeat against Oldham Athletic.

The Iron, who were relegated from the Football League along with the Latics last season, will play in National League North next season.

The visitors opened the scoring five minutes before half-time through Devarn Green.

Scunthorpe almost hit back immediately when the ball fell to Will Smith inside the box after a great passing move but his effort from six yards was well saved by Magnus Norman.

Oldham were awarded a penalty when Bassala Sambou attempted to get on the end of a long ball forward and goalkeeper Tom Billson rushed out and brought him down in the area.

Sambou picked himself up and tucked the penalty away to double Latics' lead and end a run of six games without victory, condemning the home side to the drop in the process.

Having seen their 72-year EFL stay ended 12 months ago, it has been a miserable campaign for Scunthorpe, with this their 25th league defeat.

They have had four different managers, late wage payments and a protracted takeover and now they must prepare for regional football next season.

From Championship to regional leagues

Former Championship club Scunthorpe have now suffered back-to-back relegations, having exited the Football League after 72 years in 2022.

It has been a dismal season for the Glanford Park side, who dropped into the relegation zone in early November and stayed there.

Chairman David Hilton bought the club from Peter Swann in January and earlier this month he would be announced a plan to move the club's training base 70 miles away to Ilkeston, before reversing the decision after feedback from fans.

However, plans to close their academy and make staff redundancies are going ahead.

Scunthorpe are the second team to suffer successive relegations from League Two to National League North in recent years, after York City suffered the same fate in 2017.

It has been quite a fall for the Lincolnshire side, who were in the second tier of English football as recently as 2011 and finished in the League One play-off places in 2017-18.

The past two seasons have been dark both on and off the pitch for the Iron.

They won just four league games in 2021-22 to finish bottom of the Football League, and they have eight victories in 43 league matches so far this campaign.

Fans protested against Swann's ownership of the club and some invaded the pitch during a home defeat by Woking, after the club were handed a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs in January.

Hilton bought the club, who had also been under a transfer embargo, later that month and installed former Peterborough Sports manager Jimmy Dean as manager, but they never looked like climbing away from danger and will now look to rebuild from regional football.

Match details supplied by PA Media.

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