Ipswich Town confirmed promotion to the Championship in style by romping to a 6-0 victory over Exeter City at Portman Road. The Blues raced to a remarkable 5-0 half-time lead, Conor Chaplin netting twice, and Massimo Luongo, George Hirst and Nathan Broadhead, a penalty, one each, before Wes Burns added the sixth in the second half as the Blues ended their four-year stay in League One in front of a delighted sell-out crowd.
Town boss Kieran McKenna named the same team that beat Barnsley 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Exeter made three changes from the 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last week with keeper Gary Woods replacing Jamal Blackman, who dropped to the bench, and Demetri Mitchell and 17-year-old attacking midfielder Pedro Borges, who was making his full debut, coming in for Archie Collins and Jack Sparkes. James Scott and Jay Stansfield returned to the bench after injury.
Town, who had been welcomed to the ground by thousands of fans lining the streets up to the stadium and with US board members Brett Johnson, Berke Bakay, Mark Detmer and Ed Schwartz watching from the stands, got off to a slightly nervy start at a packed and noisy Portman Road.
But in the seventh minute, from their first chance of the afternoon, the Blues took the lead.
Skipper Sam Morsy played a ball forward to Conor Chaplin 25 yards out and in acres of space. The Blues’ top scorer took a couple of steps forward before smashing a brilliant shot past Exeter keeper Gary Woods to his left to send Portman Road into a cacophony of noise.
Chaplin’s 28th goal of the season went a long way towards settling any nerves around the ground, but on 12 Exeter carved out an opportunity.
Jake Caprice found Mitchell, who shot low at Christian Walton’s left post from an angle and the keeper saved sharply.
However, four minutes later, Town made it 2-0. Hirst battled his way onto the ball outside the area on the left before playing in Massimo Luongo and the Australian shot across Woods and into the net.
Town were rampant and in the 22nd minute it was 3-0. Nathan Broadhead was sent away on the left, crossed low to the edge of the six-yard box and Hirst forced the ball over the line, colliding with Wes Burns as he did so.
Five minutes later, the Blues were awarded a penalty. Chaplin was played in but the ball was stabbed away from him and into the path of Burns, who was hauled down by Caprice when in on goal.
Broadhead, who had a spot-kick saved at Barnsley on Tuesday, stepped up and slammed the ball to keeper Woods’s right and into the top corner of the net, the January signing’s eighth goal since joining the Blues.
Portman Road was by now in full voice, hardly believing the manner in which their team were romping to a place in next year’s Championship.
And in the 33rd minute, it was five. A cross from the left was poorly headed clear twice and Chaplin volleyed home his 29th goal of his brilliant season into the top corner of the net. Town had struck five shots and scored five goals.
The shellshocked Grecians were forced into a change in the 36th minute, Alex Hartridge having suffered a knock ahead of Town’s fifth goal. Jonathan Grounds took over.
Once play got back underway, the Blues continued to look for goals, with an eye on reaching 100, by now only two away.
On 40, following a short corner on the right, the ball was clipped to Luke Woolfenden at the far post but the centre-half’s header looped over.
Three minutes later, Clarke hit an effort from distance from the right which screwed wide but almost fell perfectly for Hirst.
Understandably, the pace dropped a little as half-time approached with the Blues in total control, the fourth official indicating an additional three minutes.
The half-time whistle was unsurprisingly met by loud cheers from Town supporters after as good a half as Portman Road has ever witnessed.
At the moment when the Blues needed a performance to take them over the line, they provided one of the highest quality with Exeter blown away. The Blues were last 5-0 up at half-time against Luxembourg side Avenir Beggen in the UEFA Cup in 2002.
After a little nervousness in the early stages, Chaplin’s first goal set them on their way and from there Town scored with virtually every attack, while off the field the party began around the time of the third goal going in.
Exeter’s Mitchell struck the second half’s first shot but sent it well over the bar and into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.
And in the 47th minute, the Blues added their sixth. Burns chased a bouncing ball down the right, outpaced his man and looped over Woods and into the net, the Welshman’s ninth of the season.
Five minutes later, Exeter almost scored an own goal, Grounds stabbing a back pass beyond the wrong-footed Woods but just wide of the post.
Clarke was shown the first yellow card of the match in the 57th minute for a foul on Grounds, then two minutes later Mitchell joined him in the book for a dive as he burst past Burns and into the area.
Exeter made a triple change on the hour, Josh Coley, Mitchell and Borges making way for Scott, Sparkes and Stansfield.
But Town continued to look for goals, Burns crossing left-footed from the right, Leif Davis nodding back across and Broadhead trying an overhead kick which was diverted over by a defender.
From the corner, the ball eventually reached Chaplin, who blazed over with his second hat-trick in five games looked on.
On 64, Davis played a low corner from the left to Chaplin breaking into the box but again the former Barnsley man shot over.
The Blues made their first changes in the 69th minute, Kayden Jackson, Kyle Edwards and Freddie Ladapo replacing Burns, Broadhead and Hirst, all of whom were given standing ovations as they left the field, while the on-loan Leicester man had earlier been serenaded with chants of ‘Sign him up’, having taken his tally to seven goals.
Ladapo quickly went looking for his 21st goal of the season, shooting hard and low just past Woods’s right post.
Town swapped Luongo, who was given another standing ovation as he left the field, for Dominic Ball in the 76th minute.
With seven minutes remaining, the Blues swapped keeper Walton for Vaclav Hladky, the Czech making his first league appearance of the season. Exeter switched Josh Key for Sonny Cox.
Cameron Burgess was booked for a foul on Stansfield in the 88th minute before Chaplin brought the ball forward before hitting a powerful shot which was was blocked.
The final whistle was greeted by cheers and a pitch invasion by a few hundred fans, who were booed by much of the rest of the crowd, who were chanting ‘Town are going up’. Eventually chants of ‘Off, off, off’ and stewarding shepherded the invading fans back to the stand.
The Blues’ win was never in doubt once Chaplin’s first goal had set them on their way with Exeter putting up little opposition in what were tough circumstances against a Town side in supreme form and full of confidence and in front of a noisy and success-hungry crowd.
Sheffield Wednesday can no longer catch either the Blues or leaders Plymouth, who are also promoted. Who wins the title will be decided next week when Town are at Fleetwood and Plymouth Port Vale.
Kieran McKenna’s side took their recent run to 13 wins out of 14, their points tally to 97 and goals to 99 with one game to go of an extraordinary season which has finally brought their years in League One to an end.
Town: Walton (Hladky 83), Clarke, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Jackson 69), Morsy (c), Luongo (Ball 76), Davis, Chaplin, Broadhead (Edwards 69), Hirst (Ladapo 69). Unused: Hladky, Donacien, Harness, Jackson.
Exeter: Woods, Caprice, Hartridge (Grounds 36), Mitchell (Sparkes 60), Key, Aimson (c), Chauke, Kite, Coley (Scott 60), Sweeney, Borges (Stansfield 60). Unused: Blackman, White, Cox. Referee: Scott Oldham (Poulton-le-Fylde). Att: 29,334 (Exeter: 919).