Ipswich Town 1 Manchester City 0

PORTMAN Road has always seemed too friendly a place to be termed a fortress, but 10 home wins in 11 games tells its own tale.

Manchester City were the latest visitors who signally failed to storm the ramparts, though they caused some apprehension in the early and later stages.

So Ipswich move into fourth place and need only one more victory at most from their remaining games - at Portsmouth on Friday and at home to Birmingham - in order to claim the play-off place that narrowly eluded them last season.

Long after the game began, victory anthems from Friday's emotion-charged encounter with Norwich were still ringing round the ground. Before Steve Sedgley's penalty gave the crowd cause for further celebration, however, City made the better chances.

Dalian Atkinson, returning to the ground where he made his name , set up Nicky Summerbee, who shrugged off Mauricio Taricco's challenge but shot at goalkeeper Richard Wright.

On the half hour, the same combination went even closer, Atkinson thrusting his powerful frame at Summerbee's cross to head against the bar.

The pace of Jamie Scowcroft, restored to the attack after suspension, offered Ipswich greatest cause for optimism. When he was fouled by Kit Symons for a second time, the punishment was the penalty that Sedgley converted.

That settled Ipswich down and early in the second half Neil Gregory, Paul Mason, Geraint Williams and Tony Vaughan all had opportunities to extend the lead. The worst miss was by substitute Niklas Gudmundsson, shooting wide of an open goal two minutes from time, but in the end it did not matter.

Daily Telegraph