Both sides escaped the relegation route last season by the skin of their teeth. Iron looked to have better prospects this time with a stengthened squad while Dale could face another struggle.
After initial sparring Scunthorpe were in trouble after 17 minutes when Andy Butler's backpass left keeper Paul Musselwhite struggling but he did well to block Paul Tait's shot.
Cleveland Taylor struck a fierce shot over Neil Edwards' bar and Paul Hayes was just narrowly offside as he fired home, whilst skipper Andy Crosby saw a header fly over the top.
New Zealander Leo Bertos forced Musselwhite to palm an effort over the bar but the keeper was unable to stop Bertos from scoring a 43rd minute penalty, awarded after Crosby was penalized for shirt tugging on Grant Holt.
Scunthorpe's pressure finally paid off in the 69th minute, Taylor volleyed home following excellent work by Peter Beagrie and Hayes.
Six minutes later the lively Hayes turned home an in swinging corner from Ian Baraclough that had put the skids under Dale and although substitute Leighton McGivern tested Musselwhite late on, the final moments saw Scunthorpe's Matt Sparrow fire home after good work by Leeds teenager Andrew Keogh.
Crosby and Butler were key figures in the home defence and looked to have the makings of a sound partnership, while Stockport youngster Matt Bailey, on a month's loan looked quite sharp. Dale's Wayne Evans had an interesting battle with the veteran Beagrie, while Bertos was always a lively customer.