Individual errors and occasionally baffling refereeing led to Town exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Sunderland. Tommy Smith controversially netted on 45 before a calamitous Kelvin Davis error handed Julio Arca a second Black Cats goal. Town rallied late on, but Martijn Reuser's goal wasn't enough.

Fabian Wilnis returned to the Town line-up after his one-match suspension, Jermaine Wright moving into a central midfield role. Chris Bart-Williams dropped out due to his back injury, Tommy Miller keeping his place on the right of midfield. Former Town man Marcus Stewart missed out on a return to Portman Road due to suspension.

Pablo Couñago had the first sight of goal in the seventh minute when he ran on to a ball down the left. The Spaniard took the ball slightly away from goal and Joachim Bjorklund got across to dispossess him, Couñago complaining that the Swede held him down as the ball broke loose. Referee Mike Riley saw no foul.

Two minutes later a Jim Magilton freekick from the left arced just over the bar after Ian Westlake had been fouled just outside the area.

Sunderland's first chance fell to Kevin Kyle, the Scot latching on to Williams's ball into the box and hitting a shot on the turn which flashed wide of Kelvin Davis's post.

On 15 there were calls for a Town penalty when Williams appeared to push Sheki Kuqi as a cross came in from the right. Again referee Riley saw no offence.

Kuqi was sent away on the right moments later by a fine Couñago ball. The Finn cut in but blasted over the bar from a tight angle when a cross looked to be a better option.

Jim Magilton came closer soon after with a shot from 20 yards, which was made more difficult for Mart Poom by a deflection. However, the Estonian claimed confidently.

At the other end John McGreal did well to intercept a Kyle cross from the left with Jeff Whitley behind him readying himself to stab home from close in.

Tommy Miller, scorer of two goals last week, saw an effort blocked on 23 before Tommy Smith shot straight at Kelvin Davis from just inside the Town box.

There was a big scare for the Blues in the 26th minute, Kevin Kyle heading a cross down for Whitley but John McGreal blocked. Jason McAteer sent the ball back from the right, but Julio Arca's header went wide.

Tommy Miller had another shot blocked just before the half hour after fine work from Shefki Kuqi. The resultant corner led to a goalmouth scramble but Jermaine Wright, Kuqi and Miller all failed to get in a clean shot and the danger was cleared.

Ian Westlake sent over a dangerous cross in the 31st minute, Pablo Couñago just failing to get his head on the ball. Soon after Westlake screwed a strike wide after Poom had cleared a Magilton corner to the edge of the penalty area.

Town fans were left perplexed and angry in the 42nd minute when Shefki Kuqi looked set to put the Blues ahead. Ian Westlake had appeared to be fouled on the edge of the Sunderland box but Town had kept possession through Couñago. The Spaniard played the ball across to the unmarked Finn only for referee Riley to blow his whistle and bring play back.

The Sunderland players were as incensed at the decision as their Town counterparts, until they realised that they had been awarded a puzzling freekick. Mr Riley was not proving popular with the Town support and they had further cause for complaint in first half injury time when Sunderland went ahead.

Fabian Wilnis was fouled by Julio Arca on the right but Mike Riley allowed play to continue, although there seemed little advantage in the Blues doing so. Wilnis passed to Wright putting him under pressure, the midfielder moving the ball on to Matt Richards who lost out in 50/50 challenge with Darren Williams.

Williams made his way down the right and crossed into the box for Tommy Smith, who beat Davis from close in, although John McGreal appeared to have been impeded by Kevin Kyle as the cross came over.

At the break McGreal and Kuqi both complained vigorously to Mike Riley about the two decisions towards the end of the half as the official was roundly booed as he made his way from the field.

Town had probably had the best of the half, but as so often had failed to turn their advantage into goals and had been caught by a sucker punch.

Neither side made changes at the break and Pablo Couñago went looking for an equaliser straight away, the ex-Celta Vigo man shooting wide of Poom's goal in the first minute of the half.

On 52 Jason McAteer had a good chance to put Sunderland further ahead when he was inexplicably all alone on the Town left, latching on to a Naylor defensive header. Fortunately for the Blues the former Irish international weakly chipped into Davis's arms. Soon after Kyle headed a McAteer cross over the bar.

Richard Naylor looped a header to Mart Poom in the 55th minute after a short corner on the Blues' left involving Tommy Miller and Jim Magilton. Matt Richards headed one of a succession of Town corners wide three minutes later.

Just after the hour a Jim Magilton corner almost led to a Town goal. Naylor's header was half saved by Poom, the ball momentarily loose on the Sunderland line but cleared before John McGreal could add the finishing touch with his head.

A raking Jim Magilton pass sent Shefki Kuqi away on the right in the 65th minute, the striker cutting in and lashing goalwards, Poom doing well to get down to push it round the post.

Town's FA Cup run was literally thrown away in the 68th minute when Kelvin Davis dropped a clanger of the worst kind. Fabian Wilnis had fouled Paul Thirlwell on the edge of the Town area, Jason McAteer hitting his freekick straight at Davis who dropped the ball at Julio Arca's feet, the Argentinian stabbing home.

Immediately Joe Royle swapped Matt Richards for Martijn Reuser, the Dutchman going into a five-man midfield as the Blues reverted to a back three of Naylor, McGreal and Wilnis.

As the game wore on Town increasingly threw caution to the wind, but rarely created many clear-cut chances. On 73 Jim Magilton curled a freekick just wide from the edge of the box.

Jason McAteer somewhat needlessly got himself booked in the 83rd minute for a wild kick at Martijn Reuser by a corner flag in the Town half. McAteer had been trying to run time down when Reuser had taken the ball from him.

Couñago found Kuqi on the right with three minutes remaining, but the Finn's shot was saved by Poom.

Town did pull a goal back a minute later when Jim Magilton played a ball into Martijn Reuser from the left. The Dutchman turned and shot past Poom from the edge of the six-yard box.

But it was too late to be anything but a consolation and three minutes injury time passed with little incident other than Kelvin Davis making his way forward for a corner which Reuser miscued to the first Sunderland defender.

Once more it was a case of errors leading to Town's downfall, although Sunderland defended stoutly throughout. The first goal, controversial elements aside, was due to a series of individual mistakes while the second is one which Kelvin Davis will want to put behind him.

While the Town stopper has had some fine games since his summer move from Wimbledon in the summer, the error was similar to one earlier in the season at West Brom.

Despite much of the possession — and six goals against Crewe last week — the Blues rarely created anything of note and when a rare chance came the way of the strikers there was a lack of composure in front of goal.

A return to league action next week and a trip to Coventry. Perhaps by then Town will have a new attacking loanee to add some creativity or finishing to the side.

Town: Davis, Wilnis, Richards (Reuser 68), Naylor, McGreal, Magilton, Miller, Wright, Westlake, Kuqi, Couñago.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls