The Iron, bizarrely, opted to wear the new third choice red kit rather than the club's traditional home colours of claret and blue.
Joe Murphy and Dave Mulligan played in front of the home fans for the first time, with new signing Ramon Calliste now ruled out until the New Year with ankle ligament damage.
The North Bankers were first to threaten, with striker Ben Burgess heading wide from a Ryan France cross.
Matty Sparrow, who looks set to start the season acting as a stop-gap left-winger, went close when he cut inside and fired a shot at Boaz Myhill.
Murphy kept United in the game with a close-range bloke from Darryl Duffy's effort.
United tookthe lead before the break, with Mulligan's corner-kick headed in by centre-back Steve Foster.
The visitors levelled after 67 minutes when Billy Paynter got on the end of Stuart Elliott's cross to plant a header past Murphy.
And former Sunderland keeper Murphy did well 10 minutes later to deny Craig Fagan.