Mansfield moved up to fourth place in League Two with a 4-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Scunthorpe to leave the Iron’s 72-year stay in the English Football League teetering on the brink.

Only Oldham and Barrow’s failure to win granted Scunthorpe what is likely to be a brief stay of execution, and play was held up for four minutes in the second half as around 30 disgruntled fans entered the pitch, shortly after a number of tennis balls had been thrown from the stands.

Mansfield dominated the match itself, securing their biggest victory of the campaign with ease to sit three points off the automatic-promotion places.

They went ahead in the 16th minute when Stephen McLaughlin’s cross bobbled in off Scunthorpe midfielder Anthony Grant as he tried to clear under pressure from Jordan Bowery, and the visitors had the game wrapped up by half-time.

McLaughlin doubled the Stags’ lead from close range just after the half-hour mark, before Ryan Stirk was allowed to waltz into the box and fire low into the far corner with 38 minutes gone.

Any slim hopes Scunthorpe might have had of fighting back were over within 10 seconds of the restart, when experienced midfielder Stephen Quinn scored a fourth via the inside of a post as the visitors attacked straight from the kick-off.

Results elsewhere may have spared the Iron’s fate this day, but a first-ever stint in the National League is all-but inevitable with Scunthorpe 13 points from safety with only 15 left to play for.