A glaring error from Southend United defender Daryl Sutch gifted Scunthorpe a dream start at Glanford Park.
Blues were just starting to get on top when the former Norwich City man failed to cut out a diagonal pass to the right-flank from home midfielder Scott Brough after 11 minutes.
Head over heals - Jay Smith tries an overhead shot against the Iron Picture: ROB BROWNE
And ex-Shrimpers striker Martin Carruthers gobbled up the gift as he scampered free into the penalty area to beat Southend goalkeeper Danny Gay from 10 yards, despite the best efforts of centre-half Leon Cort to head off the goal-line.
Blues forward Mark Rawle replied by dragging wide of the right post from 20 yards, before home midfielder Alex Calvo-Garcia sent a dipping drive over from a similar distance.
But the Shrimpers drew level on 17 minutes with a fine individual strike which oozed quality.
Skipper Kevin Maher fed midfield partner Jay Smith and the youngster took one touch before belting an 18-yard shot inside Scunthorpe keeper Tom Evans' right hand post.
The Iron took the lead for the second time from an Andy Dawson corner, which was only half cleared, allowing lurking midfielder Ian Kilford to send a deflected half-volley through a crowd of players and past a wrong-footed Gay.
Carruthers should have doubled his tally from 15 yards on 41 minutes when he took advantage of another Sutch mistake to sprint clear, but Gay made a superb point blank save with his legs.
Almost straight away, Iron midfielder Lee Featherstone headed inches over, before Scunthorpe took the opportunity to capitalise on poor marking and grab a third goal 60 seconds short of the half-time break.
Kilford put the ball down on the left touchline and swung over a free-kick which Calvo-Garcia was allowed to meet unmarked from a couple of yards and head inside the near post.
Rawle could have pulled a goal back on 61 minutes when Searle's long pass down the left-flank evaded the Iron defence, but the frontman's 12-yard effort was too close to Evans, who stood his ground and smothered with his legs.
But the Seasiders shot themselves in the foot again on 70 minutes, when Hayes took advantage of a poor kick from Gay to outpace Cort and lift the ball over the Southend keeper from 16 yards.
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Published Monday, January 27, 2003
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