IN YEOVIL TOWN'S gallant history of giant-killing feats, a first-round Carling Cup victory over Ipswich Town may scarcely be mentioned in future in the same sentence as the day when Alec Stock inspired the non-league team to a victory over then mighty Sunderland.

Yet four years ago, Yeovil, now newly promoted to Coca-Cola League One, were still in search of Football League status while Ipswich were riding high enjoying life in the Premiership and an extended run in the Uefa Cup. Since then, the fortunes of the clubs have changed dramatically and last night at Portman Road Yeovil showed that the gap that exists between them is now almost indefinable.

The West Country side achieved a merited victory on the back of goals close to the end of each half from Darren Way and Kevin Gall, a substitute, to which Ipswich were unable to reply.

Ipswich have been weakened by the summer transfers of Darren Bent and Shefki Kuqi and the subsequent serious injuries suffered by their replacements up front, Sam Parkin and Nicky Forster. The shortage forced Joe Royle, their manager, to play Richard Naylor, a defender, in a makeshift attacking role in the second half and while he was involved in Ipswich's best attacking move, other efforts of similar quality were few and far between.

There was another omen that suggested beforehand that it might just be Yeovil's night. During his playing days at nearby Cambridge United, Gary Johnson, the Yeovil manager, had played three times at Portman Road, twice in the league and once in a testimonial, and had finished on the winning side each time.

The possibility of Johnson's record being extended looked on the cards from the ninth minute when Matt Harrold tested Lewis Price, the teenage Ipswich goalkeeper, with a fierce shot from 20 yards that he could not hold and was then forced to scramble back to prevent the ball crossing the goalline. Ipswich had barely mounted an attack when Yeovil took the lead in the 44th minute as Way, once on the books of Norwich City without ever appearing in the first team, rose at the near post to convert Lee Johnson's corner.

In the second half, Royle was outwitted by Johnson's decision to put five men into midfield, which all but limited Ipswich to long-range shooting efforts. The one time Naylor latched on to a clever through- ball from Dean McDonald and found space in the visiting team's area, his angled shot over the body of Chris Weale was cleared by Terry Skiverton.

Johnson's second masterstroke was to send on the speedy Gall to capitalise on breakaway opportunities and three minutes from time he won a duel with Aidan Collins to score Yeovil's second.

In victory, Johnson admitted that his side's achievement would never match the day Yeovil vanquished Sunderland in 1949, but he said: "It was important for this club. We were in danger of losing our giant-killing tag because we have lost to big boys like Liverpool and Bolton. Hopefully our reputation has been fully restored."

Andrew Jack (The Times)