DURING Ellis Short’s ill-fated ownership, Sunderland spent £30,000 to commission a study from a brand management consultancy that concluded they were an “old-fashioned football club”.

Short’s successor, Stewart Donald, is unlikely to be wasting too much money on a similar research project, but if he was to request a study of his own, it would produce a subtly different outcome. Sunderland are now an “old-fashioned football club – destined for a one-season stay in League One.”

Is it too early to be making such bold predictions? Possibly. But in front of a second successive home crowd of more than 29,000, this was an afternoon when the Black Cats felt completely out of place in the third tier.

Off the field, Sunderland feels like a club reborn, with the frisson of excitement that accompanied Donald’s arrival having survived the harsh reality of having to embrace life outside the top two divisions.

On the pitch, the Black Cats were still finding their feet as they claimed four points from their opening two matches against Charlton Athletic and Luton Town, but today’s performance, which saw them score three goals before half-time for the first time since September 2011, represented a marked step forward.

Scunthorpe arrived on Wearside with the same number of points as their opponents, but left having been on the receiving end of a comprehensive beating. For the first half in particular, they were completely unable to live with Sunderland’s vibrant attacking play.

Max Power, Josh Maja and Chris Maguire all got onto the scoresheet before the break, but while all three impressed, it was two older hands that stole the show.

Lee Cattermole and Bryan Oviedo boast a combined total of more than 400 appearances in England’s top two divisions, and their enduring talents were abundantly obvious as they controlled the game in the opening 45 minutes.

Oviedo set up his side’s first two goals, Cattermole dictated the pace and pattern of play from the heart of midfield. Holding on to both will be Jack Ross’ key ambition in the next two weeks.

Cattermole’s presence in Sunderland’s starting line-up for the first time in the league this season came at the end of a week that saw the chances of him remaining on Wearside for at least the first half of the season markedly increase.

Had Gus Poyet still been Bordeaux manager, there is a good chance Cattermole would have been heading to south-west France before the international transfer window closes at the end of the month. As it is, Poyet’s combustible character resulted in his dismissal at the end of last week when he launched a remarkable attack on the Bordeaux board. With Poyet gone, Cattermole’s French connection has also disappeared.

Perhaps Ligue 1’s loss will be League One’s gain. On the evidence of yesterday’s performance, the 30-year-old is way too accomplished to be playing in the third tier, and if he is still on Sunderland’s books on September 1, he will surely be an integral part of their promotion push.

He barely gave the ball away today, patrolling effectively at the base of the Sunderland midfield while deftly switching play from one flank to the other. There was a point 15 minutes in when Lynden Gooch failed to control one of his passes, and he went tearing towards the touchline to throw himself into a tackle that prevented Scunthorpe launching a break. So much for not wanting to be at the Stadium of Light.

Cattermole is not the only survivor from Sunderland’s Premier League days of course, with Oviedo still in situ on the left-hand side. Like his fellow remnant from the Black Cats’ top-flight days, Oviedo could also leave before the end of the month. As with Cattermole, however, if he remains, he will be a massive asset at this level.

Scunthorpe found him all but unplayable down Sunderland’s left-hand side, and while he might have been a left-back in terms of side’s starting formation, he was effectively a left winger for the vast majority of the afternoon. Indeed, at times, he was more advanced than any of his team-mates.

He set up his side’s opening two goals, and it hard to imagine Scunthorpe right-back Jordan Clarke having a more difficult afternoon all season.

Clarke was completely bamboozled as Oviedo turned one way and then the other midway through the first half, and when the Costa Rica international stood up a right-footed cross, an unmarked Power was able to head home from ten yards.

It was Power’s first goal following a summer move from Wigan Athletic, and while Oviedo’s approach play did most of the damage, there was still much to admire in the midfielder’s forceful finish. Power by name, power by nature.

Three minutes later, and the game was effectively put to bed as Sunderland scored their second. Cattermole moved the ball to Oviedo on the left, and rather than trying anything too extravagant, the Costa Rican laid possession off to Maja, who was loitering inside him.

The striker is in a rich vein of form at the moment, and after spinning past his marker, he drilled a 20-yard finish into the bottom left-hand corner to claim his third goal in as many league games.

Scunthorpe were reeling, and after Jack Baldwin saw a goal-bound effort blocked on the edge of the six-yard box, Sunderland scored again three minutes before the interval.

Their third goal was the pick of the bunch, with Gooch driving to the byline via an intricately-worked one-two with George Honeyman. The American drove a low cross across the face of the six-yard box, and despite the presence of two Scunthorpe defenders, Maguire converted via an impudent back-heel. Three games into his Sunderland career, and the former Bury striker was clearly enjoying himself.

Perhaps understandably, the Black Cats took their foot off the pedal in the second half, although they should still have added to their tally in the closing stages when Maja dragged a shot wide after more good work from Oviedo.

Jon McLaughlin produced a decent save from former Newcastle midfielder James Perch, and Lee Novak glanced a second-half header over the crossbar when he should really have found the target. Rarely, though, can Scunthorpe have been so comprehensively outclassed.