It never rains but it pours for Ipswich Town.

Making inroads - Darren Currie sets up an Ipswich attack. (44932-7)

Losing key personnel in the summer was bad enough, not to mention the fact this campaign has been blighted by a crop of high-profile injuries and suspensions.

So you have to feel sorry for boss Joe Royle when - in a home showdown against your derby nemesis - his game plan effectively goes out of the window inside 18 minutes.

That was the depressing scenario he faced yesterday when Sito Castro, having only just returned from a one-game ban, was controversially sent-off for a professional foul on Kevin Lisbie.

It looked harsh and, from an Ipswich point of view, radically dented their chances.

They fought manfully after the break, sometimes defying their numerical disadvantage, but having ten men for three-quarters of the game was always going to be a major handicap.

At half-time, Town must have been fearing the worst, even though the scoresheet was still blank. And those fears were confirmed just six minutes after the re-start.

Gary Doherty pumped a long ball forward down the left. Darren Huckerby - a half-time substitute - beat the onrushing Price, then rounded McEveley before powering his shot into an empty net.

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Published Monday, September 19, 2005

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