Darlington dismantled Scunthorpe United on a night to remember at Blackwell Meadows, beating the National League North's second-placed side 4-0.

The game was as one-sided as Scunthorpe’s 4-0 win over Quakers at Glanford Park at the start of the season, with the visitors unable to cope with Darlington’s fast-flowing football in the first half.

It was 3-0 at half-time with goals by Cameron Salkeld (2) and Cedric Main, and Matty Cornish added the fourth in the second half to seal Quakers’ fourth straight win with their best performance of the season.

They are now level on points with fifth-bottom King’s Lynn, but with a worse goal difference.

Quakers had a chance after four minutes. Ben Hedley played the ball up the line to Cornish, who made a good run to the edge of the area and laid the ball back for Andrew Nelson to have a shot saved by Scunthorpe keeper Ross Fitzsimons.

Scunthorpe had their first real chance when Kian Scales found space to run forward and have a shot saved low down by on loan goalkeeper Matty Young.

Kallum Griffiths then won the ball on the halfway line with a good challenge and found Main, who hit a low right foot shot that Fitzsimons saved low down to his right.

Quakers took a deserved 1-0 lead on 15 minutes. Will Hatfield crossed from the left to the far post, where Tom Platt nodded the ball down for Salkeld to control, and then fire past Fitzsimons, who got a hand to the ball but couldn’t keep it out.

Scott Barrow went close twice with curling free kicks, before Main won possession in midfield, raced forward and fired just past the post.

It was nearly 2-0 when Scott Barrow curled a free kick from the corner of the box just over the top.

After a brief spell of Scunthorpe pressure which Quakers absorbed, it was 2-0 on 32 minutes. Hedley played the ball down the left wing, Main took control and beat two defenders to, looked up, and rolled the ball past Fitzsimons from a tight angle.

With Young showing some faultless handling in goal, Quakers continued to grow in confidence and they stunned Scunthorpe with a third on 45 minutes. Griffiths found Nelson in space down the right, and he squared the ball for Salkeld to take a touch and steer the ball left footed into the net to give Darlington some breathing space.

Their supporters gave them a warm reception as they left the field after a one-sided first half that few would have predicted.

Scunthorpe had Darlington under pressure at the start of the second half, but Darlington kept their shape and concentration and defended their goal well.

Quakers relieved the pressure with a break down the left by Nelson, who found Main. He reached the edge of the box before mishitting a right foot shot straight at Fitzsimons.

But once again Quakers’ exposed Scunthorpe’s slow defence on 62 minutes to make it 4-0. Main controlled another ball hoisted over the Scunthorpe defence by Griffiths and he ran into the box and laid the ball off for Cornish to squeeze the ball past Fitzsimons off the inside of the post, his second goal in as many games.

Scunthorpe’s misery was complete when they were reduced to ten men on 74 minutes. Andrew Boyce was dismissed for a second yellow card after pulling down Nelson on the edge of the area.

After that, Quakers managed the game well, and on the final whistle there was a huge cheer to greet the seventh win in 13 matches under manager Steve Watson.

Attendance: 1,802

Darlington: Young, Griffiths, Lees, Barrow, Hedley, Platt, Hatfield (Ngandu 75), Cornish (Lindley 75), Salkeld (Curry 85), Nelson, Main. Subs not used: Taylor, Lawlor 

Scunthorpe: Fitzsimons, Ogle, Denton, Evans, Boyce,Beestin, Butterfield (Clunan 61), Scales, Sembie-Ferris, McAlinden (Elliott 61), Whitehall (Barrows 78). Subs not used: Kelly, Pugh