David McGoldrick's seals victory for the Tractor boys

STRIKER David McGoldrick scored his 15th goal of the season from the spot as Bolton slumped to another dismal away defeat.

Town's top scorer gave Andy Lonergan no chance with his thunderous 55th-minute strike, after the Trotters keeper had flattened him at the foot of his post following some head tennis in the crowded Bolton box.

Ipswich tidily tucked in just behind the top six but Bolton boss Dougie Freedman will be tearing his hair out after four successive defeats and six losses in eight on the road.

Manager Mick McCarthy has somehow steered Ipswich to the fringes of the play-off spots, despite having spent next to nothing in the transfer market this season.

His skeleton-thin squad suffered another blow on deadline day with on-loan Manchester United midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe moving to Fulham and key playmaker Cole Skuse then went off on the half hour after a clash of heads.

But McCarthy and Ipswich simply soldiered on. There was nothing fussy about former centre-half McCarthy as a player and his side are the same.

Strikers McGoldrick and Frank Nouble both flashed early shots wide before left-back Aaron Cresswell brought the best out of Lonergan with a ferocious 21st-minute drive.

Bolton scented a slight lack of confidence in the home side after just one win in eight games and midfielder Mark Davies twice wasted good scoring chances.

But Ipswich substitute Anthony Wordsworth also blazed over the bar and Lonergan denied home midfielder Stephen Hunt in the second half.

McCarthy said: "We are a resilient, hard-working bunch and McGoldrick getting 15 goals already is fantastic. He has been our talisman."

Freedman said: "It's very disappointing. One rush of blood in the second half decided the game."

Peter Layton (Daily Star)