Ipswich provided further evidence of their increasing play-off credentials when overwhelming Sheffield Wednesday more emphatically than Matt Holland's fourth goal of the season would suggest.

Holland, hailed by his manager, Joe Royle, as a 'captain fantastic' powerfully delivered on 16 minutes, after which only the capable handling of the home side's goalkeeper Paul Evans prevented a more humiliating outcome with defeat plunging Wednesday back to the foot of the table.

Only by revealing a sharper cutting edge than they did at Hillsborough on Saturday will Wednesday have even an outside chance of surviving from a position that leaves them five points from safety with nine games remaining. Their manager, Chris Turner, described every one of those as 'a monster' and he stressed: "The players have to remain positive right to the end."

While Turner accused his side of 'huffing and puffing,' he praised a work ethic that saw them improve in a more balanced second half after an opening period in which Wednesday were swamped by the visitors' pleasing passing game.

Said Turner: "The difference was in the final third of the field and if Ipswich had had the same amount of ball as we enjoyed in that area, we could have been in trouble."

Ipswich, without seven senior players - four of them regulars - finished with a quartet of teenagers in the line-up, a situation that augers well for the future of the financially-stricken East Anglian club. Royle pledged: "If we win our remaining nine games, we will definitely be in the play-offs."

Holland's outstanding contribution was climaxed by his headed goal following a corner on the right by Jim Magilton and eased on by Darren Bent. However, even Holland's contribution to a richly deserved Ipswich success was overshadowed by the solid performance of Richard Naylor, who has found a new niche at the heart of defence.

Peter Gardner (Daily Telegraph)