IPSWICH Town moved through the gears to defeat Tranmere Rovers 4-1 and maintain their position at the League One summit.

Fortunate to be level at the break, Paul Lambert’s men looked a different side after the break, ramming home three more goals to run out comfortable winners.

It was their seventh win from ten games and means they are still unbeaten - looking a force to be reckoned with.

In the end, it was another memorable afternoon enjoyed by the bulk of the 20,000-strong crowd at Portman Road.

The only disappointment and blot on the copybook was the goal conceded late in the first half, ending their proud run of clean sheets.

Had they managed a sixth, it would have been a club record.

That would have been the cherry on the cake but there was still plenty to purr about – in the second half, at least.

It was a sizeable improvement because the hosts had been fortunate to nose ahead in the first half, after a largely disappointing, disjointed performance.

Defensively, they looked surprisingly susceptible for a side that had been so watertight.

In midfield, they struggled to keep the ball or link up with the front men and that meant a lack of cutting edge.

It was always going to take a moment of brilliance and that’s exactly what happened.

With ten minutes left in the half, Town won a free-kick after an alleged handball by Paul Mullin.

The Rovers man screamed his innocence, claiming the ball struck the top of his chest, but referee Ben Toner took a different view and awarded a free-kick just outside the D.

From there, wing-back Luke Garbutt curled the most exquisite left-footed effort into the top right-hand corner. An absolute peach.

It was more than Town deserved and so justice was done four minutes later following a rare lapse by Tomas Holy.

Jake Caprice delivered a low cross from the right and when the ball squirmed under the Czech keeper, Stefan Payne bundled home from close range. A bitterly disappointing way for the defence to finally be breached.

Ipswich needed to buck their ideas up in the second half and they got off the best possible start with a fortuitous goal three minutes after the restart.

Garbutt tried his luck with another free-kick, low this time and hindered by an unfortunate slip.

However, Scott Davies could only parry the ball as it zipped off the surface and Kayden Jackson pounced to blast home from close range.

Town’s third, giving them breathing space, followed just after the hour-mark and much of the credit has go to Alan Judge.

The Irishman played a beautiful, lofted pass to Jackson, who galloped forward, bursting past two defenders, before seeing his shot saved by Davies.

However, the ball spun into the air and Jon Nolan grateful nodded inside the left-hand post.

The shackles were off and new hero Kane Vincent-Young made it four, following up last week’s winner at Gillingham.

The wing-back has been a revelation since joining last month and this goal epitomised his quality.

Picked out by Holy, he sauntered forward, cutting inside from the right and waltzing past two defenders before slamming a low effort across goal and inside the far post.

Town could have had more as the visitors’ spirits evaporated but it was still a comprehensive, impressive victory for the League One leaders. Eventually.