Connor Wickham struck his first league goal for the Blues in injury time to give Town a dramatic 1-0 win over Scunthorpe at Portman Road with both sides ending the game with 10 men. Until the goal, the Blues had been frustrated by an almost entirely negative display by the Iron, who had Cliff Byrne red-carded for an off the ball elbow on Jack Colback. Later, Damien Delaney was more harshly sent off for a trip on halfway.

Boss Roy Keane made one change to the side which defeated Cardiff 2-0 on Tuesday, Pablo Couñago coming in for David Healy up front alongside Daryl Murphy.

Skipper Jon Walters struck the first shot of the match, getting away behind the defence but with a number of defenders getting back before he could unleash his strike. Nevertheless, the one-time Scunthorpe loanee managed to get in a shot which Iron keeper Joe Murphy tipped over. In a sign of things to come, referee Pat Miller gave a goalkick on the advice of his linesman.

Scunthorpe made it clear from the off that they hadn’t come to take Town on in a game of freeflowing football with plenty of men kept behind the ball and keeper Joe Murphy wasting time from virtually the opening minute.

The Blues were harried and hassled at every turn and found it harder to get into their stride than they had against Cardiff on Tuesday. However, on 11 good work from Couñago sent Murphy away in space on the left. The Irishman sent in a low cross, which Walters bundled wide at the near post, eight yards out.

The linesman in front of the Cobbold Stand was on the end of unsurprising abuse from the Sir Bobby Robson Stand in the 14th minute when he gave a throw-in to Town instead of a corner when the ball had very evidently gone out for the latter.

Two minutes later, the same official gave Scunthorpe a goalkick when the ball had equally clearly not gone out of play, Iron keeper Joe Murphy laughing about the incident with the Town support as he took his kick.

On 23 the Blues were caught on the break with Damien Delaney caught well forward. Former Norwich academy striker Paul Hayes took the ball into the area, Brian Murphy got a hand to his lob and Gareth McAuley got back behind him to clear.

A minute later, Town should have gone in front. Owen Garvan sent in a freekick from the right and Jon Walters failed to get a significant touch on the ball at the far post when he ought to have scored.

Martyn Woolford picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Jack Colback in the 25th minute, moments before Town felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Michael Raynes shoved Pablo Couñago as a Shane O’Connor cross came into the box, an incident typically missed by referee Miller and his assistant.

Just after the half hour, Owen Garvan sent in a deep corner, which Daryl Murphy headed into the sidenetting at the far post from a tight angle.

Murphy headed a Walters cross to the Scunthorpe keeper, then Couñago hit a shot from the edge of the box into his arms, before David Wright hit a 30-yard strike which was also claimed but Joe Murphy hadn’t really been tested by any of them.

On 39 a half-cleared corner was returned into the area, Gareth McAuley headed on and Pablo Couñago flicked on to the top of the bar from six yards out, the Spaniard having been unable to get over the high ball.

Brian Murphy had largely been a spectator but on 40 the Town keeper kept his side on terms when Hayes hit a well struck volley, which the former Bohemians man did superbly to tip over.

Three minutes before the break, Colback was yellow carded for a late tackle with Cliff Byrne and a number of other Scunthorpe players surrounding the referee trying to persuade him that it was a red.

Most of the half-time discussion centred around the dreadful quality of the officiating both from referee Pat Miller and his assistant with some of the decisions — particularly the early failure to give a corner — almost beyond belief.

The officials had also missed more than a few niggly shirt pulls and shoves off the ball, most notably Michael Raynes’s push on Couñago, which would have been a spotkick if the referee had noticed.

Grant McCann hit the first shot of the second half wide, before Daryl Murphy made way for Connor Wickham with the Irish frontman suffering from concussion due to a collision in the first half.

The Blues took a few minutes to find their feet after the break but on 53 Colback sent in a cross to the far post and Joe Murphy was forced to tip Walters’s header over the bar.

Shane O’Connor hit a weak effort through to Joe Murphy after riding a couple of tackles in the 55th minute, then the Iron keeper inadvertently sent the ball straight up into the air in his area, Couñago taking possession but when he eventually managed to get in a shot Cliff Byrne blocked.

Scunthorpe were reduced to 10 men in the 68th minute when, with Town breaking down the right, Byrne felled Colback with an off the ball elbow with the Blues midfielder making a run down the middle of the field, right in front of the referee. Even Mr Miller couldn’t fail to spot the incident and showed the Iron skipper a straight red card.

The numerical advantage ought to have given the Blues some momentum but it was the visitors who had most of the ball in the spell directly after the dismissal. Roy Keane decided that changes were needed and on 73 Carlos Edwards and David Healy replaced Owen Garvan and Pablo Couñago. Jon Walters moved to left midfield with Edwards on the right and Healy up front.

Town had a golden opportunity to go in front in the 75th minute when O’Connor sent in a fine cross from the left, but David Norris headed wide at the far post when he should have scored.

Four minutes later, Town were reduced to 10 men in the harshest of circumstances. Scunthorpe were breaking through sub Jonathan Forte and Damien Delaney stuck out a leg on halfway to trip the former Sheffield United man.

It looked a standard yellow card but, with Scunthorpe players again surrounding him demanding a red, referee Pat Miller gave them what they wanted. It was a dismissal every bit as harsh as Jon Stead’s earlier in the season and if that sort of challenge is to be deemed ‘serious foul play’, matches will increasingly end six-v-six.

Town were continuing to be frustrated by the Iron, who had showed almost nothing in terms of attack throughout and were being allowed to waste time at their leisure by a referee either unwilling or incapable of taking control of the situation.

David Healy sent a half-chance high and wide, then Gareth McAuley scraped a corner wide with the Town players appealing that it had struck a Scunthorpe hand on the way out.

It appeared that the game would end as a club record-equalling 18th draw of the season when Connor Wickham received the ball in the area, twisted and turned his way past his defender and slammed home to net his first league goal and to win the game. The Town team, subs and some of the coaching staff celebrated on the touchline in front of the Britannia Stand, the points-claiming injury time goal for once going to the Blues.

The whistle went soon after to cheers from the Town support, witnessing their side picking up back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.

Despite never playing with the same fluidity as against Cardiff on Tuesday, Town deserved the victory simply for being the only side which came to play any football.

Scunthorpe came with an attitude and game plan more befitting a non-league side visiting a Premier League or Championship club in the FA Cup rather than a team three points and a couple of places above them in the table. Indeed, Morecambe may well have been more adventurous when Town played them in a couple of ties a few years back.

Town kept going despite the game being hard going throughout and full of stoppages from the woefully inept officials. Delaney’s red card would almost certainly be one which the Blues would immediately appeal, but for the bitter experience of having an additional game added to Jon Stead’s three-match ban earlier in the season for a similarly harsh dismissal. The club may think carefully before making their decision.

Prior to Wickham’s superbly taken goal, there were few clear-cut chances, although Walters and Norris were both guilty of glaring misses when well placed.

But overall it was a vital win from a difficult game, which puts the Blues in 17th place and more importantly six points from the bottom three where Scunthorpe now, perhaps deservedly on today’s display, now find themselves.

Town: B Murphy, D Wright, O'Connor, McAuley, Delaney, Norris, Garvan (Edwards 73), Colback, Walters, D Murphy (Wickham 49), Couñago (Healy 73). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Martin, Peters, Balkestein. Att: 19,378.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls