IPSWICH TOWN 1 (Williams 45), UNITED 0
IPSWICH TOWN: Price, De Vos, Bruce, Naylor, Garvan, Legwinski, Williams (Haynes 60), Lee (Walton 86), Harding, Macken, Roberts. Subs: Supple, Richards, Peters.
LEEDS UNITED: Stack, Douglas, Westlake, Lewis (Horsfield 88), Richardson, Nicholls, Heath, Foxe, Derry (Carole 62), Moore (Healy 75), Kandol. Subs: Kilgallon, Warner.
Before the kick-off, a minute's silence was observed and the Bishop of Ipswich said a prayer as a mark respect for the five women who were killed in the Ipswich area.
With only one win from their last five games, United were in need of something from this visit to Portman Road while Ipswich had a similar recent record with just the one win from their last five outings.
United manager Dennis Wise brought back a fit-again Kevin Nicholls to midfield and he wore the captain's armband for the first time. Nicholls' return, after a ten week absence with knee trouble, was one of four changes made to the side that lost at home to Derby County last week. Also returning to the United starting line-up were Frazer Richardson, Ian Moore and Ian Westlake, who was appearing against his former club.
Out of the side went Stephen Crainey, Ugo Ehiogu, David Healy and Robbie Blake.
Ipswich recalled leading scorer Alan Lee, following a one match suspension, and also in their starting line-up was former United full-back, Dan Harding. Another ex-United player, Simon Walton, on loan from Charlton, was on the Ipswich bench.
Because of the poor state of the pitch, it had been relaid just a week ago and looked likely to cut up in one of the corners. It was down this flank that Ipswich won the first of two corners in the opening three minutes. Eddie Lewis, playing at left back, conceded the first and Hayden Foxe headed out for the second which was also cleared.
The first 20 minutes produced little in the way of penalty area excitement but in a 21st minute attack, Harding was booked following a foul on Nicholls and an altercation with Shaun Derry. Graham Stack saved a 20-yard shot from Legwinski in the 25th minute, but the effort was straight at the keeper.
Lewis and Moore combined well to push Ipswich back and though Moore's cross from the left into the box found Douglas, his intention to set up Nicholls failed when he underhit his pass.
United had a good chance to open the scoring in the 38th minute when a superb cross from the right from Douglas found Tresor Kandol unmarked near the penalty spot but he hesitated slightly and that was long enough for Richard Naylor to get across and do sufficient to clear at the expense of a corner.
But United fell behind on the stroke of half-time when Gavin Williams took full advantage to fire a rising shot in from the edge of the penalty area after the ball had dropped nicely for him as he challenged with Foxe for a long pass.
United looked to up the tempo in the second half and, helped by a succession of free kicks, they started strongly, pushing Ipswich back but still could not trouble goalkeeper Price unduly.
Gary Roberts tried his luck three times with shots at the United goal when Ipswich pushed forward but all were off target. Ipswich replaced goalscorer Williams with Danny Haynes on the hour and two minutes later United sent on Seb Carole in place of Derry.
A Nicholl's free kick caused Price a problem and when the keeper punched the ball upwards, Kandol got up for the header but placed it wide.
With 15 minutes remaining and Ipswich doing most of the attacking, Healy came on for Moore. When United did break out it was Carole who tested the Ipswich keeper with a shot from just outside the area and in the 80th minute Carole again looked dangerous as he cut in from the right but his angled shot struck the foot of a post.
Tempers flared in the 84th minute after United were awarded a free kick and in the aftermath referee Keith Stroud, following a brief word with his assistant , produced the red card and sent off Nicholls, who had been booked a few minutes earlier. But the dismissal looked to be for a straight red.
