SUDDEN FALL OF THE IRON CURTAIN

CHRIS SUMPTER plots Scunthorpe United's sad demise from Championship to National League North

IT is a moment that encapsulates the overarching success for which Scunthorpe United were once renowned.

In the glow of Wembley fireworks, sparked by promotion back to the Championship in 2009, club captain Cliff Byrne grabbed from the crowd a piece of cardboard on which scrawled in marker pen were the words 'Bring on Shearer'.

It signalled the Iron's return to a division which the following season saw them record a famous victory over the Match of the Day pundit's beloved Newcastle United. They also comfortably turned over the likes of Crystal Palace and Derby County on their way to second-tier survival for the first time in more than 45 years.

So how can it be that just 13 years after demanding 'Bring on Shearer', the Iron are preparing to host the likes of Banbury and Curzon Ashton in National League North next season?

Defeat to Oldham on EasMonday condemned ter Scunthorpe to a second successive relegation, and their third demotion in what has been a tortuous five seasons.

The club that so-called Football smaller League sides once strived to emulate have spiralled into the sort of basket case that should serve as a warning about how far and fast it is possible to fall.

Assessing where it has gone wrong for the Iron this term is something of an oxymoron, as in reality it has never really been right.