Peterborough earned a vital 3-0 win over Scunthorpe as George Boyd scored two goals.
Record-breaking forward helps Posh to vital win
Peterborough earned a vital 3-0 win over Scunthorpe in the Championship as George Boyd continued his memorable week with two goals.
The forward set a new record for consecutive appearances for Posh in the midweek defeat to Doncaster and, along with Craig Mackail-Smith, he helped his club to a win on Saturday.
Boyd, who broke former goalkeeper Eric Steele's previous landmark, opened the scoring in the first half before adding his side's third from the penalty spot after the interval, with Mackail-Smith netting on 45 minutes.
The win lifts Darren Ferguson's side out of the relegation zone with Reading - who play Leicester on Monday - slipping into the bottom three.
Ferguson left new signings Scott Griffiths and Ryan Bennett on the bench as Charlie Lee returned from an ankle injury.
Running repairs
Lee shot straight at Scunthorpe goalkeeper Joe Murphy early on before Iron striker Jonathan Forte drilled in a left-footed shot which went through the side netting and prompted the groundsman to make some running repairs.
Both sides were looking lively and Boyd broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with a fine finish.
Mackail-Smith tussled for the ball on the edge of the area and Boyd reacted quickly to swing his left foot and hook the ball over Murphy and into the top corner.
Mackail-Smith then beat two defenders and cut the ball back to strike partner Aaron McLean, but his effort was well blocked by Jordan Spence, with Murphy pouncing on the loose ball.
Chris Whelpdale had the ball in the net on the half-hour mark but his effort was disallowed for a push but Mackail-Smith did double the lead in first-half stoppage time.
Stunning stop
Boyd span a pass over the top and when Spence slipped, Mackail-Smith ran through on goal to keep his cool and finish beyond Murphy.
Murphy then pulled off a stunning stop after the break to deny Mackail-Smith a second from close range before Forte was close to a spectacular response.
A mistake from Gabriel Zakuani allowed the ball through to Forte and his overhead kick beat Joe Lewis only to hit the crossbar.
Mackail-Smith then also hit the woodwork with a low shot against the base of the post before Boyd wrapped up the win with the third goal in the 78th minute.
Michael O'Connor tripped Lee as he burst into the box and Boyd made no mistake from the spot, placing the penalty low to Murphy's left.
Paul Hayes came close to a reply for Scunthorpe late on but flashed a shot wide as Ferguson's men saw out a first win in a month.
