City are sixth in the Championship with ten games left to play, and have a game in hand on many of the top ten.

With the possible exception of “I was momentarily distracted by events on the pitch by Claudia Schiffer nibbling seductively on my ear” or “I watched a really exciting game of rugby last night”, seven months ago that’s probably the sentence I least expected to feature in a City match report this season.

Yet it is true, for our second successive 2-0 victory on home soil has given our promotion push the mark of authenticity that comes from finally moving into the top six. With less than a quarter of this compelling season remaining, a post-season crack at promotion is now ours to lose.

Crumbs.

With Dean Windass still unfit and Caleb Folan suspended, the surprise – but welcome – return to East Yorkshire of Craig Fagan meant he made his first appearance at the Circle since scoring in a 2-0 win over Burnley at the end of 2006. Jay Jay Okocha, also in the naughty corner since his midweek antics, was replaced by Dean Marney as the Tigers fielded the expected XI of: Myhill; Ricketts, TurnerBrown, Dawson; Garcia, Ashbee (c), Marney, Pedersen; Fagan, Campbell. On the bench for City were Tyler, Clement, Walton, France and Bridges.

It was a curious affair from the off. Scunthorpe had brought about 2,000 fans for cup final day, yet they were puzzlingly placid through. All meekly seated, barely raising a whimper – perhaps the sheer sense of occasion was too much for them?

It was somewhat better from the Tiger Nation as our first 20,000+ gate of the season contributed to a much improved atmosphere. Of course, City’s total dominance helped. One pleasing feature of our home matches is the consistency with which an aggressive start is made. This was no different, and attacking the North Stand with the breeze at our backs the visitors were swiftly placed under pressure.

First to test Scunthorpe keeper Joe Murphy was Andy Dawson, half-heartedly jeered by some Scunts as he took a free-kick 25 yards out that required a diving save to keep out. Phil Brown had presumably directed his charges to take short corners aplenty throughout the game, and from the corner won by Dawson Ashbee powered a header at Murphy – a foot either side and he’d have scored.

Still we pressed, and two instances of flowing football on either flank saw Marney and Campbell play delightful balls across the Scunthorpe six-yard box. How we yearned for the predatory instincts of Deano as both went unconverted.

Scunthorpe finally made it into our penalty area with twenty minutes on the clock, when a Ben May cross was headed wastefully wide by the unimpressive Chelsea loanee Jack Cork. The failure of our South Bank friends to take this chance would prove immensely costly as City took the lead a few minutes later.

A Ricketts dragback was thudded at goal by Fagan, and although Murphy made a great save to keep the ball out he was helpless as the lurking Pedersen neatly headed the ball into the empty goal.

Scunthorpe were flattened, a side in disarray, not merely resigned to their fate but appearing to actively embrace it. The Tigers appeared to become legal owners of the ball, using it thoughtfully and incisively to move Scunthorpe’s defence into positions it clearly didn’t wish to be in. Yet, the game’s second and final goal came from a corner eight minutes before the break, Dawson’s splendid delivery finding Turner who gleefully powered a thumping header past Murphy for his second goal of the season.

Game over, if it wasn’t already. City pushed for a third goal as the match became even more comically one-sided – however, for the second time in four days the players went off at the break to thunderous acclaim after opening up a decisive two-goal lead.

So, how to approach the second half? Such was the gulf in class that a five/six goal rout was eminently achievable had City ruthlessly pursued it. Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins evidently decided that further humiliation was best avoided by doing anything as foolish as chasing the game, and with Phil Brown adopting a sensible (if slightly disappointing, from a post-game chortling perspective) approach of gently closing the game down and conserving energy for the midweek trip to Cardiff, the second half was less eventful affair.

Dawson belted a shot wide, May hit one even wider, Pedersen nearly latched onto a long throw, May missed again (a real lower league striker, this one), Fagan hit one over…but it was all slightly lackadaisical stuff.

Adkins fruitlessly shuffled his side, introducing Weston for McCann and later Forte for Morris, but no-one inside the Circle expected this to make any difference. It didn’t. The energetic Marney brought a splendid save from Murphy, appearing to push the ball onto his right hand post.

The chunky-looking Geoff Horsfield lumbered into the fray for Goodwin, and as the game entered the final few minutes City made a brace of changes, Walton for the outstanding Pedersen and France for the ever-excellent Garcia. A few minutes later, the mis-match was finally ended by the unfussy Mark Halsey.

Well. It’s hard to know how well City played given the pitiful standard of the opposition. Scunthorpe are probably the worst team we’ve faced this season, and this big day out could be their last for some time. However, the efficiency with which they were dispatched showed real strength and maturity from the Tigers.

Once more, powerful displays abounded. Only Myhill, who didn’t have a single shot to save, had a less than splendid game. The defence looked quite imperious in repelling the handful of sorties launched against it; Garcia, Marney and Ashbee worked tirelessly and thoughtfully – the latter in particular having yet another critic-confoundingly excellent afternoon. Pedersen is clearly a cut above at this level, and is one of the most composed and methodical players this observer has ever seen in a City shirt. Up front, Fagan looked a trifle short of fitness, while Campbell had his quietest game for a few weeks, and was still terrific.

And now we lie in sixth place, behind a misfiring Charlton only on goal difference, and with that game in hand against doomed Colchester still to come, a match from which we’re unlikely to emerge empty-handed. We’re in a position of real strength now, and our surge will hopefully prove to be perfectly timed.

This is a wonderful City team. Debates rage over whether it is the best of all-time. No conclusive argument can be made for the class of 1910, the mid-60s vintage, or the present-day Tigers, yet. However, as we continue our march up the table and inch closer to a shot at the top flight, the current squad has a chance of earning itself the label of Greatest Ever City Team by guiding us to the promised land. (AD)