A WOEFUL Scunthorpe United were brushed aside by promotion chasing Nottingham Forest.

Kris Boyd needed no second invitation to slot home the opener early on.

Luke Chambers headed in the second 15 minutes later, but a 37th minute Michael O'Connor penalty gave the visitors a glimmer of hope.

However the two-goal cushion was restored just after half-time when substitute Paul Anderson rifled in at the near post.

Chambers found the back of the net from close range, among a melee of players, in the 79th minute, before Boyd struck again with a deflected free-kick late on.

Eddie Nolan was unsurprisingly dropped from the Scunthorpe starting line-up.

After a nightmare display during the 2-1 loss to Millwall, in which he was at fault for both of the goals conceded, the right-back was left out, in favour of Andrew Wright.

O'Connor also returned, in for Michael Collins, with Bobby Grant, in place of ineligible Forest loanee Joe Garner, up front alongside Chris Dagnall.

Both sides looked bright in possession early on, with the Iron threatening first through Mark Duffy.

But the winger's low strike from the left in the seventh minute was pushed clear by Forest keeper Lee Camp.

It was, however, merely a precursor to the opening goal of the contest, Boyd strolling through the heart of the United back-line to side-foot past an exposed Joe Murphy and claim his 11th goal of the season.

United were on the ropes and looking vulnerable.

But they regained an element of composure, Grant curling a delightful strike from the right just past the far post.

Although occasionally dangerous on the break, it was not long before the Iron were two down, Chambers heading a right wing corner across goal.

Although it was cleared by Grant, the assistant referee deemed it to have crossed the line.

Struggling to keep a resurgent Forest at bay, Scunthorpe rarely looked like scoring.

That was until the 29th minute, when Ramon Nunez's long range drive forced Camp to tip over the bar, as United looked for a way back into a game that was slipping away from them.

They should have reduced the deficit on the half hour mark but Grant, after being played in by a poor Paul Konchesky header, could not find a way past Camp.

An entertaining encounter took another twist with a third goal, this time giving United hope heading into the interval.

After Nunez was brought down by Chris Gunter on the left edge of the area, O'Connor confidently smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his second successful spot-kick in two matches.

That hope lasted all of three second half minutes though, as the home side reinforced their dominance.

After Lewis McGugan's left wing free-kick dropped at the near post, Anderson was on hand to flash a shot past Murphy from close range.

As the pace of the game subsided, chances were few and far between, with Robert Earnshaw's 25 yard free-kick needing Murphy to help it on its way to safety in the 70th minute.

But Forest were not to be denied a fourth as, with nine minutes to go, Chambers bundled the ball in at the back post, following a free-kick into the area from the left which Scunthorpe failed to deal with.

There was still time for Earnshaw to be dismissed for a second yellow, after taking a last minute free-kick too quickly, a set-piece which Boyd lashed into the back of the net via a deflection which had Murphy beaten all ends up.

It was a result which saw Forest march on toward the play-offs, and confirm what everyone already knew - Scunthorpe will be playing League One football.

TEAMS

NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Camp, Konchesky, Chambers, Morgan, Gunter, Earnshaw, McGugan (Bennett 76), McKenna (c) (Moussi 46), Cohen, McGoldrick (Anderson 46), Boyd; Anderson, Adebola, Moussi, Tudgay, Moloney, Darlow.

SCUNTHORPE UNITED: Murphy, A Wright (Nolan 87), Nelson (c), Mirfin, Williams, Duffy (Collins 76), O'Connor, Togwell, Nunez, Dagnall (Miller 37), Grant; Gordon, Raynes, Lillis, Reid.

ATT: 27,949 (450 away)