Armstrong makes his point

It was a return to relish for the Ipswich striker Alun Armstrong, who left Middlesbrough last December in the week the head coach Terry Venables arrived. Many of the Boro faithful had always felt that Armstrong should have been higher up the pecking order at the club but the manager Bryan Robson deemed him surplus to requirements and brokered a sterling £500,000 deal for him.

Armstrong's six Premiership goals in eight starts for Ipswich seem to endorse the view from the stands and his match-winning performance, claiming two well-taken goals in the first five minutes of the second half, underlined it.

Generously the home fans welcomed Armstrong with warm applause and even repeated the show when he was substituted 10 minutes from time, by when Boro's relegation fears had been brought back into sharp focus.

"I did have doubts about my future when I was here; I was seventh-choice striker. That takes your confidence away said Armstrong.

"George Burley [the Ipswich manager] took a gamble, the confidence is back and now I could be playing in Europe next year. Unbelievable."

Boro's ambition is merely survival, still a tall order after this defeat left them with a meagre three points from their last six home games.

Titus Bramble had Ipswich's best opening of a competitive first half, when he found himself on the fringes of the six-yard box and produced a crisply struck volley that was met with a block by Mark Schwarzer of international standard.

But within minutes Boro's 34,000-plus crowd celebrated a rare treat, a home goal after more than seven hours of waiting. Dean Windass, who knows exactly what is required to achieve survival after spending last season with Bradford City, provided it.

But the man who made his opening was the club's man of the season Paul Ince, whose international future may be over but whose influence still burns floodlight bright. It was the captain's astute pass that sent Windass racing through the middle of the defence. He collected the ball without breaking stride and found the corner of Richard Wright's net with a clinical finish.

Venables missed Armstrong's equaliser, the striker running through straight from the restart to beat Schwarzer with only 15 seconds gone. And the same man was to rock his previous club again four minutes later.

This time he outmanoeuvred Dean Gordon, getting ahead of the defender for a close-range finish to Marcus Stewart's hard cross. He followed that with another header, just off target, from Jim Magilton's free-kick. But to have scored a hat-trick might have been too fanciful.

After being substituted Armstrong lingered on the sidelines until the final whistle, then emerged to shake the hands of old and new team-mates.

Venables, asked about Armstrong's comeback, shrugged and retorted: "That's for you to write about."

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Gordon, Vickers (Mustoe 57), Ehiogu, Karembeu (Stamp 58), Gavin, Okon, Ince, Ricard, Windass (Marinelli 77), Boksic. Subs Not Used: Crossley, Whelan. Booked: Gavin. Goals: Windass 39.

IPSWICH: Richard Wright, Venus, Makin, Bramble, Hreidarsson, Jermaine Wright, Holland, Magilton, Reuser (Clapham 45), Armstrong (Naylor 80), Stewart (Burchill 90). Subs Not Used: Logan, Branagan. Booked: Venus. Goals: Armstrong 46, 50.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).