Paddy Madden misses penalty in Scunthorpe's goalless draw with Millwall

A second-half penalty miss from leading marksman Paddy Madden cost Scunthorpe dear as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Millwall.

He blazed his 79th-minute spot-kick over after defender Mark Beevers had hauled down substitute Gary McSheffrey in the box.

It completed a disappointing second half for Madden, who had earlier seen a header ruled out for offside then saw a last-gasp header crash back into play off the underside of the bar.

It enabled the visitors to collect their first clean sheet of the season with a hard-earned point after two successive home defeats.

There was plenty of endeavour from both teams looking to improve on a poor start to the season.

Scunthorpe edged the early possession and might have had the lead when Madden burst free into the box from the left but his angled shot was deflected away well by keeper Jordan Archer.

Millwall managed just one real opening in the first half when a close-range effort from Lee Gregory was brilliantly turned away by keeper Joe Anyon.

It was Scunthorpe, though, who nearly snatched the lead just before the interval when Kevin Van Veen was unlucky to see a well-struck effort crash back into play off the underside of the bar.

Millwall looked more threatening in the second half, with veteran striker Steve Morison twice going close. So too did substitute Aiden O'Brien, who saw a header tipped away at full stretch by Anyon.

But Madden, having been denied from the spot, almost had the last say for Scunthorpe when he popped up at the far post with a close-range header that crashed against the bar.