Town failed to get any points from the last of four games which were seen as crucial to the Blues' season. The matches against Everton, Fulham, Southampton and West Ham were games where Town should have added to their paltry points total, unfortunately three draws and a loss have hardly helped matters.

The defensive frailties of recent times were once again on display while up front Town had few chances and had little creativity in midfield. Hermann Hreidarsson scored his first home goal for Town while Matt Holland notched his first of the season.

The Blues lined up with Thomas Gaardsoee making his debut alongside Mark Venus at the centre of defence. Hermann Hreidarsson returned to left-back while Chris Makin was on the right. The midfield saw Jermaine Wright and Matt Holland in the centre, Jamie Clapham on the left and Martijn Reuser on the right. Marcus Stewart was partnered by Alun Armstrong up front.

As usual Town started brightly, although they rarely showed any real threat up front. Thomas Gaardsoee showed an attacking mind in the second minute when he played a ball over the top for Marcus Stewart before Martijn Reuser hit a shot well over.

The game was delyaed on four minutes when Nigel Winterburn went down for lengthy treatment after a collision with Mark Venus.

Town came nearest to scoring in the opening exchanges when Jermaine Wright hit a shot which was on target until a defender deflected it away.

Nigel Winterburn became the first player to enter the ref's book when he stood in front of Chris Makin as he prepared to take a freekick. The ex-Sunderland man fired the ball against him. Paolo Di Canio got himself involved in arguing with referee Steve Dunn.

Makin, still to score for Town, hit a shot well wide in the 16th minute after getting on to a cleared corner. A minute later Marcus Stewart was almost on to a little ball over the top inside the area from Matt Holland.

Thomas Gaardsoee picked up his first English yellow card in the 19th minute for a late tackle. From the resulting freekick Kanoute headed over after Schemmel had crossed from the right.

In the 21st minute West Ham went ahead. Di Canio was played in beyond the Town defence with only Sereni to beat. Unfortunately for the Blues Sereni couldn't keep up his excellent record in these situations and Di Canio scored. How many times in recent games has the defence lapsed and allowed strikers opportunities like these?

Two minutes later Martijn Reuser curled a freekick towards the top left-hand corner of Shaka Hislop's goal which the keeper just got to and was able to turn away.

On 26 Chris Makin came close to breaking his duck when he sent a looping header back across Hislop's goal. It looked initially like a knockback for strikers running in but the ball appeared to curl and was dropping goalwards. Hislop just managed to claw it away.

Gaardsoee appeared to see Hislop off his line in the 28th minute and hit a shot from near the halfway line. The ball went harmlessly wide.

In the 31st minute Kanoute sent a header wide when left alone in the box. Marcus Stewart also sent a header wide from a Martijn Reuser freekick.

Right on half-time there was a call for a penalty to Town when a Mark Venus cross appeared to strike a West Ham hand. Referee Dunn disagreed.

As the Town players went off Marcus Stewart and Martijn Reuser were deep in heated discussion. Half-time saw Sixto Peralta replace Jamie Clapham as Jermaine Wright moved to the right, Martijn Reuser to the left and Peralta into the middle. Initially this seemed to instil a new vigour in the Town attack.

Hermann Hreidarsson put in a solid tackle on Trevor Sinclair as he found too much space on the right of the Town box. Hreidarsson also found time to make a length of the pitch run which eventually came to nothing.

On 49 Kanoute headed wide again, this time froma Sinclair cross.

A minute later Holland hit a shot well wide as that familiar frustration was becoming very evident on the terraces.

The 54th minute saw Marcus Stewart booked. The striker had been wrongly penalised and showed his frustration by kicking the ball at Scott Minto. Referee Dunn, despite Minto's protests, saw this as a yellow card offence.

Pablo Counago replaced Alun Armstrong a minute later and quickly got into the action, having a shot deflected wide in the 57th minute.

The 58th minute saw Marcus Stewart and Thomas Gaardsoee almost counjure a scoring opportunity as the West Ham defence failed to deal with a cross. But as so often this season the ball wouldn't seem to fall right for a Town player and eventually a Sixto Peralta cross went over the bar.

However, in the 62nd minute things did go Town's way when Hermann Hreidarsson equalised. Mark Venus hit over a freekick which was missed by Shaka Hislop. Hermann arriving on the far post made no mistake and scored his first goal at Portman Road. With the North Stand out of action there was no danger of a repeat of his goal celebration from last season's game with Bradford. Had he made another stagedive he might have found himself out of the side for some while.

Portman Road brightened audibly after this, but it was West Ham who almost went into the lead two minutes later. Michael Carrick hit a shot from the edge of the area after catching Sixto Peralta in possession and it flew against Sereni's bar with the Italian beaten.

The 66th minute saw Don Hutchison put the ball over the bar from a Di Canio freekick on the right. At the other end Marcus Stewart headed a corner straight to Shaka Hislop.

On 69 Sereni saved from Kanoute after a strong break from Winterburn on the left. It was to be a warning for things to come as the ex-Arsenal man was again given acres of space to run down the left two minutes later. No tackle came in as he reached the penalty area a squared to Kanoute. The Frenchman fluffled his shot but the ball took a deflection and looped beyong Sereni and into the net. It was a cruel blow for Town and a very unfortunate way to concede. Again though the defence was guilty of not getting a tackle in and of giving the full-back far too much space.

In the 72nd minute Reuser had another freekick saved by Hislop and three minutes later Carrick hit a shot wide.

On 80 Mark Venus had a freekick almost deflected into the net but Hislop grabbed hold of it as Marcus Stewart rushed in.

With four minutes to go Jim Magilton replaced Jermaine Wright, but Town were making little headway.

Jermain Defoe replaced Paolo Di Canio and was quickly on the scoresheet. Again Town were caught with a striker beyind them, although Gaardsoee managed to get a challenge in which appeared to be handled by the England U21 player who continued his run and finished well, leaving Sereni with little chance. Referee Dunn saw no hand despite protests from the Town players who nelgected to retrieve the ball from the net for some minutes. Eventually Matt Holland removed it and took it forward for the centre.

And it was Holland who was to give Town fans their final cheer of the afternoon. The captain was in possession halfway inside the West Ham half, looked up put the ball on to his right foot and unleashed on from 25 yards leaving Hislop beaten. Not long afterwards the whistle went and more boos rang around Portman Road.

Those four important games against more than beatable opposition out of the way then and just three points to show for it. The relegation worries expressed by some over the last few weeks now must start to be taken seriously.

Sereni, Makin, Hreidarsson, Venus, Gaardsoee, Holland, Wright (Magilton 86), Reuser, Clapham (Peralta 46), Stewart, Armstrong (Counago 55).

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls