George Boyd ended his record-breaking week in fine fashion as his brace put Peterborough on track for a much-needed Coca-Cola Championship win over Scunthorpe.

Boyd broke the record of former goalkeeper Eric Steele - now goalkeeping coach at Manchester United - for consecutive appearances for Peterborough in midweek and marked the feat with his seventh and eighth goals of the season.

The forward has not missed a league game since signing from Stevenage in 2007 and he capped his 126th straight appearance with a goal in each half and an assist for Craig Mackail-Smith.

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.

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.

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.

Teams

Peterborough Lewis, Lee, Morgan, Zakuani, Rowe,Whelpdale (Batt 72), Diagouraga, Frecklington (Keates 80),Boyd, Mclean, Mackail-Smith (Rose 79).

Subs Not Used: McKeown, Martin, Griffiths, Bennett.

Booked: Mclean.

Goals: Boyd 25, Mackail-Smith 45, Boyd 78 pen.

Scunthorpe Murphy, Byrne, Jones, Spence (Andrew Wright 69),Williams, O'Connor, Togwell (Woolford 55),Josh Wright (Thompson 56), McCann, Hayes, Forte.

Subs Not Used: Slocombe, Canavan, Sparrow, Morris.

Booked: Murphy, Woolford, Hayes.

Att: 8,051

Ref: Mike Jones (Cheshire).