Town boss Joe Royle felt his side fully deserved their 1-0 home victory over Stoke City. Royle heaped praise on striker Shefki Kuqi, who he described as the "most improved player in the division".

The Town manager said his side particularly impressed in the first 45 minutes: "We had 15 shots in the first half and were terrific, but we were just as good for 45 minutes at Millwall on Boxing Day when we went in 1-0 down.

"The difference today was that Kelvin Davis did not have a shot to save in 90 minutes. We defended properly and deserved to keep the clean sheet.

"Stoke are a big side, dangerous at freekicks and corners. I called them the Land of the Giants earlier in the season and they haven't got any smaller.

"I'll take a 1-0 result any time. We play a passing game, perhaps too much so sometimes. It is right for us and right for the crowd here. Our lads are fit thanks to the right blend of rest and hard work."

Striker Kuqi scored his 12th goal of the season and is a player Royle says is making huge strides: "I cannot think of a more improved player in the division and possibly in the English game. It is a confidence thing with Shefki and at present his confidence is sky high."

Kuqi himself says he is concentrating on his game and is not thinking about the six months' service with the Finnish armed services he is expected to complete before he is 30: "I am putting this out of my mind at the moment because a couple of years is a long time.

"I am concentrating on carrying on with my job of helping Ipswich Town to promotion."

Manager Royle also had words of praise for new signing Darren Currie: "He has given us a new dimension and very seldom loses the ball."

Stoke manager Tony Pulis says his side never really got going during the opening period: "In the first half we never turned up and it was only a matter of time before Ipswich scored. We threw ourselves into challenges and blocked the ball but it was not until Ipswich scored that we started to give them a game.

"We are what we are; a decent group of lads at this level whose biggest thing is honesty. They show that week after week and today we went into the game to give it our best shot.

"We created some good openings but never managed to hit the target. Just compare our resources at Stoke with those at Ipswich.

"As a manager you are dealt a deck of cards and have to do your best with what you have got. Joe Royle is fortunate at Ipswich that so many good players have emerged through their academy to mix with the senior players."

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls