Referee Andy D'Urso has had quieter afternoons after sending-off two Rotherham players and awarding a controversial penalty in Ipswich's 2-1 victory at Portman Road.

After a goalless first half, the game sparked into life when Pablo Counago opened the scoring after 53 minutes only for Martin Butler to restore parity six minutes later.

However, this was merely a glimpse of what still to come as D'Urso adjudged Rob Scott's innocuous 70th-minute challenge on Chris Bart-Williams to be worthy of a spot-kick which was converted by Counago.

That poor decision lit the powder-keg as Rotherham defender Martin McIntosh was sent off for a second-bookable offence nine minutes later.

And with the game already at boiling point, Julian Baudet hardly helped the cause when he was also dismissed for an act of stupidity after clashing with the impressive Alan Mahon.

Before that, the game drifted into a midfield dogfight and the Ipswich strikeforce of Counago and Shefki Kuqi hardly had a kick in the opening half.

With the game drifting towards the interval, Ipswich did begin to exert some pressure on the Rotherham goal. But despite Mahon skimming the top of the crossbar with a wayward cross into the area, Pollitt and co were rarely threatened.

However, Rotherham's hard work was undone eight minutes into the first half when Counago headed home what proved the matchwinner - albeit courtesy of some dreadful defending.

Rotherham were caught napping when Jim Magilton's inswinging corner was met with purpose by the smallest man on the field who was in acres of space to divert the ball into the roof of the net.

A few weeks ago, Rotherham would probably have lay down and waved the white flag. Instead, Moore's men responded admirably and equalised six minutes later.

Paul Warne's 35-yard drive was heading tamely towards goalkeeper Kelvin Davis but Butler had the presence of mind to force the issue and deflect the ball with his head into the top left-hand corner of the net.

But just when it seemed the Millers had the measure of the home side, D'Urso intervened. Bart-Williams' surging run into the penalty box came to an end when Scott appeared to have committed a legitimate challenge on the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder. However, the Essex-born official deemed Scott's tackle to have been a foul and had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Counago kept his head and slotted the ball tidily into the right corner of the net.

D'Urso was not finished yet though and felt Martin McIntosh's foul on Counago shortly afterwards was worthy of a second yellow card.

The Millers captain was promptly sent off and with the visitors still fuming, a miserable day was capped off when Baudet was dismissed for violent conduct after an altercation with Mahon.

Ananova