Ryan East cancelled out an early Callum Roberts goal, and despite making all of the running in the second period, Jimmy McNulty’s men couldn’t find a winning goal.
However, the point sends Dale to the top of the Enterprise National League and extends the unbeaten start to 2026.
The Head Coach made four changes from Saturday’s draw at Yeovil Town, as Ethan Ebanks-Landell, Harvey Gilmour, Devante Rodney, Joe Pritchard and Dan Moss all returned to the starting eleven.
Dale made a quick start to the game and felt Scunthorpe could have been down to ten men inside two minutes, when Mani Dieservuwe was tripped by the last man ten yards inside the visitors’ half. However, despite referee Darren Drysdale awarding a free-kick, there was no card shown to Will Evans.
Oliver Whatmuff made his first stop of the evening a couple of minutes later, palming away Callum Roberts’ low shot, before Dale created a number of chances.
Ebanks-Landell headed a corner wide at the back post, before Callum Perry saw his effort from a tight angle beaten behind. Dieseruvwe looked certain to turn home Rodney’s cross after superb work from the Dale number ten, but couldn’t divert goalwards.
Instead, it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the 17th minute. They won the ball high up and worked it to Roberts, whose powerful left-foot shot from outside the area found the bottom corner.
He then blazed another effort over just two minutes later, before Whatmuff stayed strong to deny Oli Ewing’s fierce shot.
Dale had a golden opportunity to level when Dieseruvwe was fouled inside the area, but after aborting his run-up to the penalty kick, referee Drysdale awarded an indirect free-kick to the hosts for an infringement by the striker.
The home crowd didn’t have long to wait before an equaliser, though, when East netted his fifth of the campaign just after the half-hour mark. Dale worked it well down the right to the underlapping Kyron Gordon, who delivered a low ball into the area. It fell for East, who calmly side-footed into the bottom corner.
Dieseruvwe headed a corner wide, whilst substitute Jake Burger and Pritchard both had shots from a tight angle blocked away and Rodney curled an effort narrowly wide from the edge of the area.
After the break, Dale dominated proceedings, with Rodney firing wide and seeing another shot blocked.
Moss headed a cross into a dangerous area that was well cleared, as Pritchard, Rodney and Perry all sent efforts off target.
Whatmuff’s only action of the second period was to hold on to Tyler Denton’s low shot, just a minute before Rodney’s fizzing effort flew inches wide of the far post.
Dale’s dominance continued deep into the six minutes of added time, as Pritchard and East both had strikes closed down and Casey Pettit fired off target.
Gordon and Perry saw shots deflected out for corners in the final minutes, as Dale did everything but score a second, being forced to settle for a point.
Dale XI | Whatmuff, Gordon, East, Ebanks-Landell ©, Gilmour (64’ Pettit), Dieseruvwe, Rodney (90+1’ Henderson), Pritchard, Barlow (28’ Burger (90+1’ Francis)), Moss, Perry.
Unused subs | Allarakhia, McBride, Hosannah.
Scorers | 32’ East.
Scunthorpe United XI | Mahady, Evans, Boyce ©, Beestin (71’ Ubaezuonu), Whitehall, Roberts, Rowley, Ewing, Westbrooke, Denton, Barrows.
Unused subs | Jones, Dausch, Starbuck, Dawson, Hurst, Smith.
Scorers | 17’ Roberts.
Attendance | 3,615 (936 away).
