Phil Brown recorded his first win as Preston North End boss after a 3 - 0 win in a relegation six pointer at Glanford Park.
Brown tasted victory at the 13th attempt after Brown failed to win in his first 12 matches. First half goals from Keith Treacy, Billy Jones and Iain Hume gave the bottom side hope of a miraculous escape.
Treacy finished off a delicate pass from the impressive Hume for the opener and Jones bundled home a second from a corner before Hume's diving header put Preston 3-0 up and in total control before half time.
For all of Preston's good work, Scunthorpe's first-half display was as bad as anything witnessed in the Championship all season and on this evidence they will be plying their trade in League One next season.
Ian Baraclough's men failed to create a single chance in the opening 45 minutes, much to the disgust of the home supporters who booed their team off at half-time and again at the final whistle.
Preston were the better side throughout and in the 19th minute, Treacy crossed from the left flank and Eddie Johnson headed over the crossbar
Brown was wasteful in the 31st minute when he nodded over from Ricardo Gardner's superb delivery but the breakthrough arrived a minute later.
Hume broke from deep and slipped a superb pass into Treacy, who beat the offside trap and drilled a low right-foot shot into the bottom left-hand corner.
Five minutes later Preston doubled their lead when Treacy's inswinging corner from the right found Jones who gleefully bundled home from point-blank range.
Johnson then blazed wide from eight yards out from Hume's intelligent pass but Preston wrapped the game up on the stroke of half time.
A deep cross into the box was headed down by Brown into Hume's path and the Canadian stooped to nod into the net from six yards.
Baraclough made a substitution shortly before the hour mark and another just after but it was Preston who looked more likely to to their tally.
Johnson was wasteful again when he tried to dribble his way through the home defence and when Scunthorpe striker Joe Garner hit a 20-yard shot into Iain Turner's arms with 15 minutes remaining, it was the hosts' only effort of note during the entire 90 minutes.
Despite their first win of 2011, North End still have a massive fight on their hands to beat the drop - they now lie 10 points adrift of safety - but with a home game against Coventry next up on Saturday, Brown may feel his luck is beginning to turn at just the right time.
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