IT may have been free kicks that ultimately cost Ipswich at Chelsea but Alex Bruce's finish from an Owen Garvan set piece was a warning for Barnsley tomorrow.

Derek Davis

By Derek Davis

IT may have been free kicks that ultimately cost Ipswich at Chelsea but Alex Bruce's finish from an Owen Garvan set piece was a warning for Barnsley tomorrow.

Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard hit long range free kicks to give Chelsea the 3-1 win after Bruce had equalised, a week after Garvan had fired one in at Crystal Palace.

Defender David Wright revealed it was not something they had pre-planned but is confident more will follow.

He said: “We created a number of chances in open play but we certainly exploited then at set plays. We didn't particularly work on it but we have very good delivery with Owen and Tommy and if the boys attack it as they did then we have a great chance of scoring.”

The former Wigan full back felt Town could have done no more after putting in a fine display against the Premier League title chasers.

He said: “We played very well from start to finish. What beat us in the end was basically world class.

“Ballack's free kick was great and Lampard's was outrageous but they are world class and they showed it.

“The Premier League players keep it so well and you don't see it for long periods and if they get a chance they take it.

“They can produce something out of nothing.”

Wright has urged his team-mates to follow up the performance at Chelsea with more of the same at Oakwell.

He said: “There is no point playing like this at Stamford Bridge and then turn up at Barnsley and both reproduce that tempo and fight again.

“We are out of both cups now so we can really concentrate on the league.

“These are grounds we want to play at every week and going to Barnsley means we have to get a result so we can achieve that.

“Barnsley is very important if we are to get where we want to go.”

After missing out through injury Wright passed a stiff test, especially when Salomon Kalou tried to break clear but he matched him stride form stride in a sprint from inside the Chelsea half to thwart the threat.

He said: “It was a nice game to come back in and even though we got beat 3-1 we can take a lot of positives out of this.

“On a personal note I'm confident on a one on one and after the trouble I have had over the past month with hamstring and things so there was no better test than.”

Unlike some of his team mates, Wright did not swap shirts, promising to give his own to his brother.

Richard Wright got Petr Cech's, Gareth McAuley Alex's and Veliche Shumulikoski took Stanislav Ivanovic's shirt.

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk