Sheffield United celebrated Kevin Blackwell's manager of the month award with success over Ipswich.
Blackwell's men close gap on the top two
Sheffield United celebrated Kevin Blackwell's manager of the month award with a comfortable 2-0 home success over Ipswich.
Blackwell watched his in-form Blades secure a third successive Championship victory as Greg Halford opened the scoring with a 25-yard thunderbolt before Darius Henderson headed home a second.
Owen Garvan missed Ipswich's best chance of the opening 45 minutes and Paddy Kenny denied Pim Balkestein with an impressive save late in the second half.
On this evidence Jim Magilton's side lack the physical presence to trouble the genuine promotion contenders such as Blackwell's increasingly confident outfit, who have now been beaten only twice in their last 19 league matches.
Blackwell made just one change from the side that despatched nine-man Cardiff 13 days ago, with striker Jamie Ward starting in place of John-Joe O'Toole.
Alex Bruce, Garvan, Kevin Lisbie, Pim Balkestein and Veliche Shumulikoski were all drafted in for Ipswich, who introduced five new faces to their starting line-up.
Ward flashed an early header wide for the Blades when he should have at least forced Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright to save, while former Blades midfielder Alan Quinn was off target with a free-kick for the visitors.
Smother
Ipswich skipper Wright was quick off his line to smother Henderson's effort from a tight angle in the 16th minute and from David Cotterill's subsequent corner home captain Chris Morgan's looping header was inches wide.
But Halford fired the Blades into a 19th-minute lead in stunning fashion when his right-footed drive from 25 yards arrowed inside Wright's left-hand post.
The Blades' superior football was rewarded with a second goal eight minutes later.
Impressive right-back Kyle Naughton clipped in a measured cross and Henderson outjumped the visiting defence to power his header beyond the wrong-footed Wright.
Ward went close to adding a third for United just after the restart, but his shot following a mazy run to the edge of the penalty area lacked power and rolled wide.
Henderson then shot tamely into Wright's hands following Cotterill's cut-back and the busy Ward rifled a right-footed shot from outside the area narrowly wide.
Ipswich defender Balkestein directed his header towards the top corner in the closing stages, but Kenny was equal to it, while visiting defender Ben Thatcher - already warned for an ill-timed tackle in the first half - was booked for a late lunge on Naughton.
If the Blades took their foot off the pedal in the second half, with the game effectively wrapped up in the first, Ipswich were unable to capitalise and a large chunk of the 25,315 Bramall Lane crowd left in good voice ahead of the six-game run-in.
