The York City record player is stuck and needs an almighty shove to get the Minstermen dancing to a different tune.

It must be hoped new striker Lee Nogan can provide that spark for it was an all too familiar pattern at Glanford Park on Saturday.

As has become the norm, City started brightly to continue their recent improvement by degree. Indeed, they played probably their best football of 2001 in the opening 20 minutes.

By then, they could and should have been 2-0 up but were made to pay for wasted opportunities when the Iron all too predictably opened the scoring at pretty much their first attempt.

A goal in the bag, the writing was already on the wall for City and it was pretty much downhill all the way thereafter.

To be truthful, the writing was probably already on the wall after little more than 60 seconds of Saturday's tie when James Turley skied a gilt-edged chance over the bar with just the United 'keeper to beat.

The 'here we go again' feeling was underlined less than a minute later when Tommy Evans pawed away Mark Sertori's goal-bound header from a corner.

Evans remained by far the busier of the two 'keepers, saving speculative efforts from David McNiven and Steve Agnew and a solid header from Chris Iwelumo, but while Scunthorpe struggled to get hold of the ball themselves one sensed the seeds of self-doubt had already been sown by those two earlier misses.

Sure enough, Scunthorpe kept to the script by taking an undeserved lead and it was a particularly disappointing goal to concede.

From a promising move McNiven gave a careless pass and Lee Hodges was able to break away down the left.

City had umpteen chances to make a challenge or cut out his cross but didn't and the ball fell to Guy Ipoua at the far post who bundled it home with a less than clean connection.

There were still nigh on 70 minutes of the tie remaining but given City's recent showing in front of goal, underscored by their profligacy of the opening quarter, the game was as good as over.

To be fair, City continued to make a decent fist of what was left of the first half but the conviction was gone, epitomised by their best chance of grabbing an equaliser.

A punt from Fettis was nudged on by McNiven and caught the Scunthorpe defence flat-footed to leave Iwelumo clear on goal.

Perhaps it was the heavy pitch but the striker, playing his last game in City colours, looked decidedly reticent allowing the Scunthorpe 'keeper to spring from his area and make a crucial block with his feet.

City started the second half reasonably brightly too giving little indication of what was to unfold.

A succession of quality crosses forced a series of corners but when they too came to nought it was no great surprise when Scunthorpe added a second, and this one was just about deserved.

Hodges, Larusson and Ipoua had already gone close for the Iron when the ball was flung in from the right. Alex Calvo-Garcia swung his foot, failed to get a clean connection but still saw the ball bobble through a melee of legs and the outstretched arm of Fettis to nestle in the corner.

Three minutes later, it was 3-0 and no-one could complain about the quality of Larusson's magnificent free-kick from 30 yards that curled over the wall and had Fettis grasping at thin air.

The game all but dead, the best that could be said of the last 20-odd minutes was that it gave substitutes Lee Bullock and Darren Patterson the chance to build up some match fitness. Young Scott Emmerson too can have done his chances of earning a starting berth no harm with a gutsy second-half showing.

But City's shape and poise was in tatters and it was no surprise when Scunthorpe bagged a fourth.

Fettis did well to deny Hodges but could only push his drive in to the path of Ipoua, who was left with a simple tap in.

With Exeter hovering ominously into view, it must be hoped that as well as providing that much-needed spark, Nogan will bring his shooting boots to Bootham Crescent too.

Scunthorpe United 4, York City 0

York: Alan Fettis 6, Barry Jones 6, Mark Sertori 6, Colin Alcide 6, James Turley 6 (Lee Bullock 64mins, 5), Neville Stamp 5, Steve Agnew 5, Leigh Wood 7, Graham Potter 5 (Darren Patterson 69mins, 6), David McNiven 4 (Scott Emmerson 46mins, 7), Chris Iwelumo 4. Subs not used: Russ Howarth, Mark Bower.

Bookings: None. Sendings-off: None.

Scunthorpe: Tom Evans, Mark Jackson, Andrew Dawson, Nathan Stanton, Bjarni Larusson (Paul Harsley 82mins), Alex Calvo-Garcia, Lee Hodges, Steve Torpey (Darryn Stamp 76mins) Guy Ipoua, Stuart Thom, Trevor Berry (Peter Morrison 80mins). Subs not used: Gareth Sheldon, Russ Wilcox.

Bookings: None. Sendings-off: None.

Updated: 13:16 Monday, February 12, 2001