Full-time: Scunthorpe United 1 Brentford 1

Leon Clarke's sixth goal of the season rescued Scunthorpe United a point in a game in which they were second best for long spells.

He rose majestically at the far post to meet Mark Duffy's perfect right-wing cross in the 77th minute and guide the ball into the back of the net.

Up until the equaliser, Scunthorpe, who went into the game on the back of three successive defeats, had found themselves out-passed and out-muscled by a strong visiting side.

But Brentford, who missed a first-half penalty before Harry Forrester produced a piece of individual magic to put them in front on the stroke of half-time, were unable to turn lengthy spells of pressure into goals.

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The opening 45 minutes were a particularly drab affair, with the home side, clearly lacking in confidence on the ball, struggling to carve out anything of note.

They had the edge on efforts at goal, but both Clarke, after latching on to David Prutton's clever through ball, and Jimmy Ryan blazed efforts high and wide.

The game burst into life with the awarding of the penalty, which came in the 33rd minute when David Mirfin slid in to block a shot from Clayton Donaldson and the ball struck the Iron skipper's hand.

Donaldson stepped up to take the spot kick, in front of the Doncaster Road End, but whacked it wide.

A difficult afternoon for the Crewe front man continued almost immediately after the miss, when he selfishly wasted another great opening, cutting in from the right and firing into the side netting while former Iron striker Paul Hayes, in space, called for a square pass.

In the 37th minute, United finally produced something worthwhile themselves.

A neat move in the middle of the park put Christian Ribeiro free down the right and he whipped in a cross which Clarke stooped to head goalwards, but Bees keeper Simon Moore brilliantly held.

Play though quickly switched back down to the other end of the field.

Forrester picked up possession on the edge of the Iron box and weaved his way inside past several sloppy chances before coolly finishing off some opportunistic play – and ensuring the Iron left the field for half-time to a chorus of boos.

The second half was every bit as slow as the first, but the home side did, marginally, improve.

Sam Slocombe's alertness denied Hayes the chance of a first Bees goal as he raced off his line to gather possession at the front man's feet and the Iron keeper also reacted instinctively to tip over Harlee Dean's 66th minute header from a corner as Scunthorpe's set-piece sluggishness again almost proved costly.

As United have found to their cost so many times this season though, the inability to score a second goal can often be punished.

This time though they profited from such a scenario.

Having broken quickly following a Brentford attack, Duffy bombed down the right flank and lifted in a cross which Clarke headed back across goalkeeper Moore and into the back of the net.

The on-loan striker celebrated by urging the home crowd, which again fell below the 3,000 figure, to get behind their side.

But any hopes the hosts had of scoring a second goal in a game for the first time in six months were all but over when Mirfin lunged in on Jonathan Douglas five minutes from time, earning a second yellow card and an early bath.

In the end they had to settle for a point. It has to be said, an unlikely one at that too.

SCUNTHORPE: Slocombe, Ribeiro, Mirfin, Canavan, Newey, Duffy, Gibbons, Prutton, Ryan (Kennedy 87), Grella (Jennings 60), Clarke. Subs not used: Severn, Walker, Barcham, Keegan, Sedgewick.

BRENTFORD: Moore, Logan, Craig, Dean, Bidwell, Forshaw (Adeyemi 79), Douglas, Diagouraga, Forrester (Dallas 87), Hayes (Saunders 72), Donaldson. Subs not used: Lee, O'Connor, Barron, Legge.

ATTENDANCE: 3,008 (195 away).