Scunthorpe 0-4 Peterborough: Conor Washington hat-trick sinks Scunthorpe

Conor Washington plundered a hat-trick as in-form Peterborough cruised to a 4-0 win at Scunthorpe.

Posh moved into the play-off places while Scunthorpe struggled badly after conceding a goal at the start of each half.

The visitors were gifted a fourth-minute lead when an error of judgement by home keeper Luke Daniels allowed Washington to nip in front of him and head home a right-wing cross from Michael Smith.

Ten minutes later they might have struck again but leading marksman Lee Angol lifted his close-range effort over after Daniels had failed to hang on to a shot from Jon Taylor.

Peterborough always looked the more dangerous side and before the interval Harry Beautyman was twice denied with well-struck efforts that were turned away at full stretch by Daniels.

Scunthorpe's best effort of the first half was a header from Darius Henderson that flashed just wide of the near post from a right-wing cross by Paddy Madden.

The home side brought on veteran winger Gary McSheffrey at the start of the second half but before he had the chance to make an impact, Peterborough struck again just four minutes after the break. Michael Bostwick lashed in from the penalty spot in the 49th minute after Erhun Oztumer was flattened in the box by Henderson.

Substitute Marcus Maddison cracked a shot against the foot of a post for the visitors before they made it 3-0 in the 82nd minute when Washington netted his second of the game with a cracking finish from the edge of the box.

Washington then completed his hat-trick in stoppage time with another clinical finish as Scunthorpe collapsed.