Rampant Town shredded old Division One foes Sheffield United 5-1 at Portman Road on Tuesday night. Tommy Miller scored from the spot before Shefki Kuqi added the second. Leigh Bromby pulled one back but Richard Naylor, Kuqi again and Ian Westlake completed the rout.

The Blues lined-up up as against Preston on Saturday with Tommy Miller and Fabian Wilnis OK after picking up knocks against the Lilywhites. Skipper Jim Magilton played his 250th game for the Blues since his move from Sheffield Wednesday in 1999.

The game started fairly scrappily with Town winning a couple of early corners, Jason De Vos injuring his knee as he tried to get on the end on one of them.

The first real shot of the game came in the 11th minute but Darren Bent putt the ball well over. Shortly afterwards De Vos needed treatment for his earlier injury but carried on.

On the quarter hour, a neat Town move ended with Tommy Miller failing to make full contact with the ball when well-placed inside the area and Paddy Kenny saved easily.

Two minutes later, Paul Shaw hit the Blades' first effort of the half straight at Price. At the other end, Kuqi flicked a Darren Bent left wing cross wide. Bent himself had a go a minute or two later but failed to test Kenny.

However, Town would go ahead in the 21st minute. Tommy Miller cleared the ball from inside his own half, Darren Bent chased the ball down with several defenders in attendance. Phil Jagielka got a weak touch on the ball which allowed the striker to get to it and take it past Kenny who pulled him down.

It was a clear penalty but referee Lee Probert felt that the Sheffield United keeper had not prevented an obvious goalscoring opportunity with Bent headed away from goal, and failed to show him a card.

Tommy Miller struck the spotkick powerfully to the keeper's left, the Irishman getting a hand on it but the midfielder keeping up his 100% record for the Blues.

As on Saturday, Town's second goal followed swiftly on the heels of the first. Kuqi made the most of more defensive disorganisation, heading the ball over Kenny and into the net after a mix-up between two defenders, celebrating his seventh goal of the season in his now familiar manner.

Soon after De Vos succumbed to his injury and was replaced by Matt Richards, prompting a major switch-around at the back. The England U21 went to left-back, Fabian Wilnis to right-back and Drissa Diallo to central defence.

Just before the half hour, a Kevin Horlock freekick caused more problems in the distinctly shaky United defence but the ball failed to fall to a Blue boot.

On 37, Danny Cadamarteri got his name in the book for a foul on Tommy Miller, who had been on the end of a few knocks from various players during the half.

With Town looking reasonably comfortable at 2-0, the visitors grabbed a goal back. Andy Liddell sent in a freekick from the left which Richard Naylor cleared as far as the edge of the box where Leigh Bromby was allowed to hit a low shot into the right corner of Price's goal.

There was further danger for the Blues in injury time, Richard Naylor doing well to head the ball from under the bar with Andy Gray readying himself to score behind him. The resultant corner saw the ball flick off Chris Morgan but fly wide of the post.

The goal just before the break was blow, coming as it did from a set-piece as so many of those conceded, however, the Blues had had much the best of if and thoroughly deserved their lead.

At the break, Karen Pickering came out in Town regalia to take three penalties against third choice keeper Shane Supple. The Olympic swimmer needed to score two to equalise her two-event challenge with Ian Westlake and netted the second and third to earn the tie, Westlake having won the 50-metre swim on Sunday.

The Blades came into the game much more immediately after half-time. Gray shot wide after taking the ball from a hesitant Westlake.

Lewis Price came well out of his goal in the 50th minute as Cadamarteri, pursued by Naylor, went after a ball over the top. The former Everton man got a toe on the ball with the keeper well out of goal but took it away from danger.

Midfielder Alan Quinn added his name to the referee's book for a rather cynical foul on a marauding Shefki Kuqi in the 51st minute.

United were pressing for an equaliser and Paul Shaw went close with a shot wide after a Diallo slip on the edge of the area.

Full-back Jon Harley was the next Blade to pick up a yellow card, for a foul on Darren Bent. From the freekick there was a suspicion that Shefki Kuqi might have been held in the area as the cross came over from Kevin Horlock.

On the hour, a fine Town move down the right involving Jim Magilton and Tommy Miller ended with Darren Bent shooting wide.

A minute later, the Blues were further ahead. Jim Magilton sent in a corner from the right and Richard Naylor headed down and into the net for his second goal of the season.

Their third goal appeared to give Town a massive lift and after that there was only one side in it. On 64 Kuqi ought to have added the fourth when he and Bent went chasing a ball from Tommy Miller. But with Kenny out of his goal the Finnish international missed his kick. Two minutes later the same player shot wide from 20 yards.

Town were putting on the pressure and the Sheffield United goal was under siege. Matt Richard headed over on 67 as a fourth goal seemed only a matter of time.

Within a minute, Kuqi latched on to a ball on the edge of the box and hit a shot on the turn which beat Kenny to his left. The Finn now has eight goals and is Town's top scorer for the season.

Westlake had a shot on the turn saved by Kenny on 70 but the midfielder made no mistake soon after as he poked Tommy Miller's right wing cross into the net at the near post, before unveiling a swimming goal celebration in tribute to his weekend antics in the pool.

United looked a side well-beaten but Andy Liddell hit a shot at Price and Paul Thirlwell headed over on rare attacks.

With Town fans now enjoying Mexican waves and Neil Warnock taunting, Jack Lester headed wide but the final whistle couldn't come soon enough for the visitors.

A thorough drubbing of one of the sides Town supporters most enjoy beating. The Blues looked likely to score almost every time they went forward and dominated the game except for a period after half-time when the Blades threatened to get themselves back on terms.

However, once Richard Naylor had netted the third there was little doubt that Town would take the home unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions. The Blues are also nine league games unbeaten and are now top scorers in the division on 36.

They have also scored in all of their last 28 league games, surpassing a record set during 1953 and 1954.

Sheffield United looked weak in midfield, lacking ideas and hesitant at the back. Their main attacking threat came from Leigh Bromby's huge throws.

Town continue to impress and get results while a number of the sides around them lost points this evening. A win at Burnley on Saturday would be a very useful three points with trickier games against Leeds and Sunderland later in the month, but this victory will keep smiles on Town supporting faces for some while to come.

Town: Price, Diallo, Wilnis, De Vos (Richards 24), Naylor, Magilton, Miller, Horlock, Westlake, Bent, Kuqi.

Photo: Action Images

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