by Ashley James & Mark Denham from Ninian Park

Snapshot

Ipswich Town spoiled the party against Cardiff City on Saturday with a 3-0 win in the final league game at Ninian Park. Things seemed to be going to plan midway through the first half when a push on Roger Johnson inside the area resulted in a penalty kick. Unfortunately, Ross McCormack was denied by Richard Wright from the spot and it remained goaless. Ipswich took the lead later in the half through Pablo Counago and looked the better side going in to the interval.

City created very little in front of goal and Ipswich scored their second through David Norris with half hour remaining. With City throwing everything forward, Jon Stead wrapped up the scoring with an easy tap in. It wasn't the league send off that everybody at Ninian Park wanted and means the Bluebirds may still need to take something from the final league fixture at Hillsborough next weekend to secure a play-off place.

Team News: Chris Burke kept his place on the right of midfield after a majestic substitute appearance in midweek while Tom Heaton also kept his place in goals after being re-called for the match at The Valley. City lined up for the very last time in a regular league match at Ninian Park with Tom Heaton in goals, Kevin McNaughton, Gabor Gyepes, Roger Johnson and Mark Kennedy across the back; Chris Burke, Joe Ledley, Gavin Rae and Paul Parry in midfield and with Jay Bothroyd and Ross McCormack in attack. Darren Purse, Miguel Comminges, Stephen McPhail, Eddie Johnson and Michael Chopra took their places on the substitute's bench.

ChronologicalReport: After all the emotion and pre-match festival spirit around Ninian Park you could almost be forgive for forgetting that there was actually an extremely important match about to take place at the old ground. When things eventually got under way The Bluebirds were nearly gifted the perfect start as Alex Bruce sold his goalkeeper Richard Wright short with a horrendous back-pass forcing the former England stopper to go to ground and clear with his feet as Jay Bothroyd was pressuring.

Chris Burke followed on from his marvellous second-half performance away at Charlton on Tuesday and was in electric form early on tormenting the left hand side if the Ipswich defence. In the opening minutes he beat his man down the flank and sent over a great ball that Bruce could only head up in the air forcing Wright to claim the ball under his own bar as again Bothroyd applied the pressure.

Cardiff were doing all the pressing in the early part and in the tenth minute Paul Parry delivered a corner on from the left that Roger Johnson met with a perfect knock-down to Captain Joe Ledley who drilled a half volley with his left that was blocked by a swarm of red jerseys inside the box.

Burke was easily Cardiff's most dangerous player thus far and continued to cause problems down the left, in the twelfth minute he dropped I a perfect cross that Roger attacked at the back post only to be clearly impeded by Ivan Campo who left referee Mr Mathieson with little other option than to point to the spot. Up stepped Ross McCormack who struck his effort low and hard to the right only for Wright to make a great save with a firm right hand and turn the ball away as the once infallible McCormack missed his second spot kick in a week.Immediately the speedy Jaime Peters stormed forward down the right and after wriggling free of Parry's attention he was eventually and cynically brought down ten yards out side the box by Kevin McNaughton who was booked for his efforts and luckily nothing came of the free-kick.

As dangerous as Burke had been for Cardiff Peters was proving perhaps more so for the visitors with his direct running that could and perhaps should have given the Tractor Boys the lead in the fourteenth minute as he swung over a great ball that was missed by the head of Kennedy only for Counago to miss-control unmarked at the back post.

Cardiff were showing glimpses of their football potential and while it didn't lead to an early break-through it did bring about a premature end to Alex Bruce's afternoon. Some sweeping work from the Bluebirds, with Burke twice instrumental eventually played in Ledley down the left and as Bruce charged across to cover he landed awkwardly while going to ground and immediately left the field clutching his lower arm in clear discomfort.

Ipswich Town Substitution: Jon Stead for Alex Bruce (27mins)

Giovani Dios Santos was another player showing his class in possession for the visitors and also demonstrated exactly why this time last year he was calling the Camp Nou home and turning out on a regular basis in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi. It was another player who had once called the Camp Nou home who prevented Cardiff taking the lead just before the half-hour mark when a step-over dummy from Ross allowed Jay some space on the edge of the area, his great first touch set him up perfectly only for Campo to dive in with a great block.

One player that hadn't looked fazed by the occasion was Ledley who was having a fine game in the centre of midfield and nearly carved open the Ipswich defence. Ledley outmuscled Norris on halfway and squared the ball to Rae; he played in Bothroyd who looked to find the run of Joe with a first time pass that was measured to perfection. Unfortunately Ledley couldn't collect in full flight at the edge of the area and the chance went begging.

Cardiff were beginning to gain the upper hand in the midfield area and Kennedy stepped in to rob Dos Santos on half-way and freed Burke ahead of him. He ran at the Ipswich back-four before pulling the trigger with a awkward shot from twenty-five yards that bounced up into the chest of Wright and back into no-mans land forcing Campo, who had dropped back into the centre of defence to clear behind.

In the thirty-fourth minute the party bubble surrounding Ninian Park popped with deafening silence when Jon Stead was played in down the right of the box. He stayed strong against Gabor Gyepes and battled his way to the by-line where his inch perfect pull back found Counago stood on the penalty spot who side-footed home with ease.

Cardiff City 0 - 1 IPSWICH TOWN (Paulo Counago 34mins)

Cardiff needed to respond quickly to haul themselves and the capacity crowd back into the match and came within inches of doing so minutes before the break with a lovely move down the left. Ledley found Kennedy on the overlap and he put over a delightful cross with the outside of his left foot that evaded the head of Bothroyd by a whisker.

Half Time: Cardiff City 0 - 1 Ipswich Town

The first half chance of a slow paced second half fell to the visitors and Paulo Counago who shot wide of the near post from the edge of the box while Ross McCormack responded in kind at the other end soon after.

If things were so far disappointing for followers of the Bluebirds they were about to hit rock bottom as David Norris made some space for himself in the Cardiff area and fired a shot into the far bottom corner.

Cardiff City 0 - 2 IPSWICH TOWN (David Norris 54mins)

Again Cardiff looked to respond with immediacy and again it was Burke who was the focal point of the attack as McCormack held the ball up back to goal on the right corner of the area and laid the ball of to Burke who fired a shot across goal and fizzed wide of the back post.

Ipswich Town Substitution: Danny Hayes for Paulo Counago (57mins)

Cardiff City Substitution: Michael Chopra for Ross McCormack (59mins)

Cardiff City Substitution: Stephen McPhail for Paul Parry (59mins)

Chopra made an instant impact as he raced on to a long ball pumped into the Ipswich box, he was in on goal with Pim Balkenstein and Matt Richards chasing only for the latter to masterfully get a toe to the ball at the last second to deny the Cardiff striker.

Cardiff were pushing forward looking for a way back but one was not obviously forthcoming through a mixture of staunch Ipswich defending and some particularly feeble, unimaginative attacking play from The Bluebirds. Ledley has a great chance in the sixty-seventh minute when Gavin Rae controlled an awkward ball on the edge of the area and played him in with a great lofted pass, Joe cut inside onto his right but fired his effort high and wide.

Ipswich Town Substitution: Alan Quinn for Jaime Peters (73mins)

Cardiff City Substitution: Eddie Johnson for Gavin Rae (76mins)

With time running out Cardiff and Eddie Johnson had a great chance to at least have the final word at Ninian when he collected a pass from Ledley on the left of the area and turned beautifully only to see his side-footed effort destined for the far bottom corner turned away again by the excellent Wright.

In the end it was our far superior visitors who had the last word as a Danny Haynes free-kick from twenty-yards struck the left upright and bounced back out to a totally unmarked Jon Stead who turned the ball home with embarrassing ease.

Cardiff City 0 - 3 IPSWICH TOWN (Jon Stead 90+1mins)

Full Time: Cardiff City 0 - 3 IPSWICH TOWN

Cardiff: Heaton, McNaughton, Gyepes, R. Johnson, Kennedy, Burke, Ledley, Rae (E. Johnson 76), Parry (McPhail 59), McCormack (Chopra 59), Bothroyd. Subs Not Used: Purse, Comminges.

Ipswich: Wright, Richards, Balkenstein, Bruce (Stead 27), Garvan, Campo, Norris, Dos Santos, Peters (Quinn 73), Lisbie, Counago (Haynes 57). Subs Not Used: Bialkowski, Miller.

Referee: Mr S. W. Mathieson

Attendance: 19,139