Cardiff City 0 Ipswich 2

For the second successive weekend, home fans left the stadium cursing the luck of their side as they found themselves on the wrong end of a two-goal scoreline, having dominated large sections of the match.
Yet on this occasion, Ipswich Town were able to reap the benefits, achieving the three points having been second best for most of the first hour of play.
In contrast to the previous weeks outstanding first 45 minutes against Portsmouth, the first half was amongst the worst of Paul Jewells short time as manager, something the Liverpudlian quickly acknowledged needed changing at the break. Speaking to the BBC, Jewell said “It was the first time I’ve lost my temper with them but I felt it was necessary and I think we got the response. Our goalie was terrific, he kept us in the game. We sat off Cardiff in the first half and it looked as though we were expecting to lose so half-time came at the right moment”.
As has become commonplace under Jewell, Town remained unchanged from the side who had been unfortunate not to take all the points against Portsmouth. It granted Jason Scotland the opportunity to try and wreak havoc on Cardiffs promotion chances, as a favour to his former employers, Swansea City. In acknowledgement of the threat, Scotland was roundly booed from the start.
Town started the game under pressure, conceding opportunities to the welsh side, a theme which was to progress throughout the half. With the blues backline rocking, they were indebted to their goalkeeper who, having been the subject of attention following mistakes in his two previous outings, was out to make amends. Marton Fulop made strong stops from Boothroyd, Whittingham, Chopra and Emmanuel-Thomas in particular.
Towns cause was not helped as Mark Kennedy, perhaps the only member of the back four to show any composure on a poor pitch, limped off with the kind of hamstring injury which has plagued his Town career since moving from the Bluebirds.
The second half offered little in the way of retribution in its early stages, with Emmanuel-Thomas coming closer still, seeing an effort bounce under Fulop, but with the keepers touch being enough to balloon the ball up and over the bar.
Gradually, Town recovered some composure as Bullard and Leadbitter started to create time on the ball and provide some much needed breathing space for their colleagues.
Having created fairly little in the way of clear goalscoring opportunities, it was inevitable that the opening goal would come from a barely presentable chance. Scotland, working tirelessly throughout to try and hold some form of possession for his side, managed to win a loose ball following a long Wickham pass. The ball fell to Jimmy Bullard who, on approaching the penalty area, let fly from distance, arrowing a fantastic effort past Stephen Bywater in the Cardiff net. It was Bullards second goal for Town, both of which outstanding strikes from distance and both past his former West Ham teammate Bywater.
Fulop was called upon to make a further excellent stop down low from Craig Bellamy, but Town had taken control of proceedings for much of the second half, growing in confidence. That control was made complete in the closing minutes as Bullard fired home a free-kick from distance, aided by a deflection. Bullard was unfortunate not to complete a hat-trick in injury time, with Norris also going close, as Cardiffs threat had become non-existant.
It was a fine away result for Town, having survived in tricky conditions for much of the first half before finally running out comfortable winners. It marked Towns fifth successive victory over the Bluebirds, with the circumstances presumably leaving the Welshmen wondering if destiny was at play.
Whilst the teams reaction to their managers half-time jolt provided the foundation for victory, the result was ultimately defined by the performances of the goalkeeper and the star midfield turn. Whilst much was made before the game of the ability of Cardiffs front three to individually turn a match in their favour, this match simply emphasised the lack of such players in the Town line-up in recent years.
Where Bullard initially came into the side as a very good loan move to help the club in a tricky situation, focus has gradually swung towards the possibility of keeping the Hull City player permanently at Portman Road. Whilst the players’ current wage would put him far beyond the scope of Towns salary structure, it is becoming increasingly evident that the player is thoroughly enjoying his time at the club. And the feeling is mutual, as his impact on the side goes to demonstrate the level of quality which might be required for Town to finally find an exit route from the Championship.
However, all of this is but conjecture at this point, with Towns status in the Championship for next season yet to be rubber-stamped. After this win, the side move to within two wins of the fifty point mark generally felt to represent safety. Tuesday evening brings an opportunity to halve that total with the visit of Reading to Portman Road, fresh from a thumping home victory over Middlesbrough.
Yet, if Bullard continues to maintain his level of impact, discussions over his future, and those of the other out-of-contract players, may well be quickly accelerated.