YORK CITY scored four first-half goals as they ran riot over Scunthorpe United in a crushing victory at Bootham Crescent.

Josh Carson’s opener, with just 120 seconds on the clock, set the tone for an almost perfect first-half performance as the Minstermen beat the high-flying Iron 4-1.

Two wonderful goals from Ryan Brobbel, the first curled into the top right corner and the second a magnificent volley, sandwiched an equally impressive strike from Wes Fletcher.

Sam Winnall’s consolation, a minute after the resumption, proved the only blot on the City copybook but the damage had already been done in a first 45 minutes that will live in the memory for some time to come.

Manager Nigel Worthington made three changes from the side that went down 2-0 at Fleetwood on Saturday. Tom Allan, who replaced David McGurk during the first half of that game, kept his place at centre-back with club captain Chris Smith on the bench.

The big surprise was the omission of top-scorer Ryan Jarvis, who sat with the substitutes, as the Minsterman manager reverted to 4-4-2 and brought in Fletcher and Ryan Bowman to play up front.

But the switch paid dividends almost immediately. Fletcher went up for a header with David Mirfin and the defender’s poor clearance fell to Carson in stride.

The winger took a couple of touches and then unleashed a shot from 20 yards which took a nick off an Iron defender and looped over Sam Slocombe into the net.

Fletcher got his own reward on 11 minutes. Luke O’Neill slipped as he struck a pass down the right side. It fell perfectly to the striker but, if how he received the ball was fortuitous, what he did next was spectacular.

A swift turn left Niall Canavan sprawling and Fletcher stepped forward and smashed his shot into the top left corner of the Scunthorpe net from an angle.

That wasn’t enough for the former Burnley frontman, however. He turned provider ten minutes later, feeding Brobbel to his left deep inside the Scunthorpe box.

Composed, the on-loan Middlesbrough winger stepped inside Christian Ribeiro and curled his right-footer past a stranded Slocombe just under the stanchion.

Even better was to come.

Brobbel then produced what will be the goal of the season at Bootham Crescent five minutes before the break. Waiting in the middle of the area for O’Neill’s cross from the right, he struck a venomous shot on the volley that scorched into the top left corner.

The cross came over at pace, the technique was fantastic. The young man will probably never score a better goal in his career.

It was, quite simply, brilliant.

That was just the goals. It was 4-0 at half-time but it could easily have been six or seven. Elliott Whitehouse’s bullet shot only narrowly skewed wide; Scunthorpe were scurrying to deal with a side-footed effort from Lewis Montrose; and Bowman was only denied by a fantastic piece of defending by Sean McAllister at full-stretch, to force the ball out from Carson’s pin-point cross.

Scunthorpe had been utterly outplayed.

The Iron gave themselves hope a minute after the resumption when Winnall looped a shot over Michael Ingham after City started slowly defensively.

Carson was forced to leave the fray, replaced by Ashley Chambers, after appearing to injure a knee when trying to bend a shot into the near post shortly before the hour mark.

City were still dangerous when going forward but sat slightly deeper defensively, more inclined to give Scunthorpe time on the ball – something which irritated the watching Worthington.

Winnall almost made them pay again when he swept the ball away from Daniel Parslow only to scuff his shot wide on 64 minutes.

But, at the other end, Montrose struck the inside of the left post with a rattling strike – which took a touch off substitute Smith – with just under 20 minutes remaining.

Even though Scunthorpe continued to fight and struck the crossbar late on with a thumping Mirfin header, it could not take the gloss off a memorable night.


Match facts

York City 4 (Carson 2, Fletcher 11, Brobbel 21, 40), Scunthorpe Utd 1 (Winnall 46)

York City: Michael Ingham 8, Luke O’Neill 8, Daniel Parslow 8, Tom Allan 8, Ben Davies 8, Josh Carson 9, Lewis Montrose 8, Elliott Whitehouse 8, Ryan Brobbel 9, Ryan Bowman 8, Wes Fletcher 9.

Subs: Chris Smith (for Allan 46, 8), Ashley Chambers (for Carson 58, 7), Ryan Jarvis (for Fletcher 83). Not used: Chris Kettings, Ryan Cresswell, Tom Platt, Sander Puri.

City star man: Ryan Brobbel – two fantastic goals

Scunthorpe Utd: Sam Slocombe, Christian Ribeiro, David Mirfin, Niall Canavan (Etienne Esajas 17), Andy Dawson, Cliff Byrne, Sean McAllister, Matt Sparrow (Terry Hawkridge 67), David Syers (Hakeeb Adelakun 61), Deon Burton, Sam Winnall. Subs not used: Chris Iwelumo, James Severn, Terry Hawkridge, Luke Waterfall, Jimmy Spencer.

Referee: Andy Madley (West Yorkshire).

Referee rating: 7/10.

Booked: Whitehouse 26, Syers 27, Dawson 43.

Sent off: None.

Attendance: 3,636 (737 from Scunthorpe).

Shots on target: City 11, Iron 2.

Shots off target: City 1, Iron 7.

Corners: City 4, Iron 5.

Fouls conceded: City 11, Iron 13.

Offsides: City 1, Iron 0.