Eighteenth place Scunthorpe United welcome relegation threatened Southend United to the Sands Venue Stadium on Saturday afternoon (15:00 kick off).

The Iron played out an entertaining 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic on Tuesday evening, substitute Jordan Hallam's 93rd minute equaliser rescued a point late on after Alfie McCalmont had opened the scoring for the Latics.

For Mark Molesley, his side come into the game without a win in their last five games and currently occupy the final relegation place. Last Saturdays 0-0 draw with Stevenage was their seventh no-score draw of the 20/21 campaign.

Attacker Jordan Hallam will miss out on Saturday after Scunthorpe boss Neil Cox declared the club are waiting on a scan following a hamstring injury he sustained late on in Tuesday's 1-1 draw.

Centre back trio Harrison McGahey, Manny Onariase and George Taft all miss out once again for the Iron and experienced midfielder Jem Karacan will be assessed following a knee problem he sustained in midweek.

As for Southend, goalkeeper Mark Oxley has began his rehab following a groin strain and is nearing a return to the starting 11. James Montgomery remains in the building following his emergency loan from Gateshead. 

James Olayinka and Terrell Egbri have both stepped up their aims to return to the side with appearances in respective U23 games in recent weeks. However Saturdays trip to North Lincolnshire may potentially come a little too soon for the pair.

Nile Ranger misses out following an operation on his groin and is unlikely to feature this season.

  • Predicted lineups

Scunthorpe United

Howard; O'Malley, Bedeau, Clarke, Howe; Green, Beestin, Spence, Gillead; Loft, van Veen.

Blackpool loanee Teddy Howe impressed from the bench late on in midweek and could be given the nod on Saturday given Neil Cox's squad rotation in recent weeks. Devarn Green should keep his place following a strong showing on Tuesday too.

Southend United

Seaden; Bwomono, Hobson, White, Hart; McCormack, Ferguson; Demetriou, Dieng, Hackett-Fairchild; Akinola.

As stated, Southend are desperate for a goal scorer to fire Molesley's side to League Two safety and their lies their Achilles heel. Their could be a recall to the side for either Brandon Goodship and Emile Acquah as the Blues must begin to find their shooting boots with just 11 games left to play.

  • Ones to watch

Scunthorpe United - Alfie Beestin

Alfie Beestin is undoubtedly a strong contender for Scunthorpe's player of the season so far. Finding his feet as a central midfielder, the 23-year-old's tenacity and attacking drive has contributed heavily in steering Scunthorpe clear of those once feared relegation places. Strong in the tackle and with an eye for goal, should Beestin start for the Iron he may prove a pivotal part in Scunthorpe's plans to take the game to Southend from the off.

Embed from Getty Images

Southend United - Jason Demetriou

Experienced wide man Jason Demetriou has racked up over 150 appearances for the Blues since joining from Walsall back in 2016 and very much remains a key figure at the club. With Southends poor run in front of goal more apparent than ever, Shrimpers fans will be hoping Demetriou's killer pass can help unlock Scunthorpe's defence on Saturday before its all too late for this struggling Southend side.

Embed from Getty Images

  • Previous meetings

In this seasons previous meeting, it was Southend who came out on top with on-loan Arsenal midfielder James Olayinka netting the winner at Roots Hall in front of a then capped capacity crowd of 2,000. 

Molesley's side have not won in 15 previous visits to Glanford Park.

This game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 20 March 2021. 

The match is available on iFollow via both respective club websites, with match passes priced at £10 for those wishing to tune in from the United Kingdom.