No more could have been done on the day by a goal-happy Ipswich side.

They did their bit in the bid to reach automatic Premiership promotion with goals from Jim Magilton, James Scowcroft, Kieron Dyer and Richard Naylor.

But 150 miles away at Wolves, Bradford wrecked the Blues' dream with a 3-2 win and all credit to them, they deserved to go up after winning when Wanderers needed victory for a play-off hope.

So now it is Ipswich who must face the lottery of the play-offs for the third successive season.

In an afternoon of incredible excitement and drama at Portman Road the Blues fans were treated to a thrilling game against Sheffield United trying to do their Yorkshire neighbours a favour.

But as Town changed their formation from the usual 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2, in front of more than 21,000 fans as many eyes or ears, kept tuned to events in the Midlands.

It was almost the undoing of Town after 12 minutes when a huge roar went up as Wolves scored.

The Blues' defence seemed to stand still in bewilderment and George Donis burst through on goal.

He contrived to hit an upright and Marcelo's follow-up drive was saved off the line by the Supporters' Player-of-the-Year Jamie Clapham and Paul Devlin hit the third attempt over the crossbar.

Blues defender Fabian Wilnis said: "It was very confusing for us out there with the crowd screaming and cheering for the goals.

"We thought the Bradford score was 3-3 at half-time the way the crowd were going.

"We didn't have a clue until half-time what the real score was.

"And when there was a big cheer in the first half as Wolves scored it almost put us off for a moment."

Town had already had a warning when Lee Morris got behind Tony Mowbray but struck Richard Wright's right-hand post.

And the Blades hit the crossbar in the second half in an end to end encounter.

But it was Ipswich who at last found their killer touch in front of goal.

Bobby Petta had been brought in to provide more width for Town and add number sin midfield where lately, teams had stifled Town.

It meant Manuel Thetis making do with a seat on the bench alongside Richard Naylor and Mick Stockwell.

Jim Magilton, 30 last week, relished the space he was given, peppering passes to both wings.

He went to support Kieron Dyer who cut in from the right berating the hapless Rob Kozluk.

Dyer was thwarted but the ball went out to Magilton and the Northern Ireland international struck it sweetly through a crowd of defenders low into Alan Kelly's right hand corner.

That goal broke the tension and Town marched on in style.

Petta was fouled by Devlin on the left flank and took the free kick himself.

James Scowcroft rose unmarked to power a header back into the goal from seven yards.

And Ipswich were three up by the break when Magilton played a wonderful ball over the top for Dyer, who beat Kelly to it and chipped the keeper.

Misinformation spread around the ground and the Blue faithful's constant cheering for goals that were not must have unsettled the Town players.

The half-time news put paid to all the rumours the crowd had started up. Dyer hit a post after a one-two with Johnson put him in space.

George Donis pulled one back for The Blades when substitute Petre Katchouro's first touch in the game, set him free and the Greek international scored his first goal since joining from AEK Athens.

But Town had their own supersub in Richard Naylor who came on for the ineffective David Johnson.

Dyer clipped a lovely ball over for him and Naylor ran on, feinted to shoot, went around Kelly and side-footed in, for his fifth of the season.

That wrapped it up for Town.

But a loud cheer had many believing Wolves had equalised but instead it was a free kick hitting a post and rebounding to safety.

And as the final whistle went the reaction at Portman Road was muted as they waited the agonising seconds for the whistle to go at Molineux.

It went and along with it Town's immediate Premiership dream.

Now they must lift themselves again and destroy the jinx that no team that has finished third in Division One has gone up via the play offs in the past six years.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.