THERE are usually two ways to do anything but when it comes to winning games Ipswich seem to always do it the hard way.Blues boss Joe Royle would have been happy with a 1-0 win before the game but once Ipswich had snatched two goals in as many minutes he had every right to think they could go on from there.

THERE are usually two ways to do anything but when it comes to winning games Ipswich seem to always do it the hard way, writes Derek Davis.

Blues boss Joe Royle would have been happy with a 1-0 win before the game but once Ipswich had snatched two goals in as many minutes he had every right to think they could go on from there.

But it didn't happen, and Royle was less than pleased with the last 15 minutes of a game Town had controlled.

He said: "We made it hard for ourselves. I warned that we would have to be patient and Wimbledon defended very well in the first half.

"When we got to 2-0 up it should have been a cruise but unfortunately one or two did cruise and we switched off.

"The smallest man on the pitch scores with a free header which I wish I could say was the first time it has happened this year. We weren't exactly hanging on but things then got slightly hairy."

The guilty party who allowed on-loan Middlesbrough midfielder Smith to evade him will remain anonymous but Royle was disappointed with the whole defensive lapse.

He said: "Overall we have defended fine but then Kelvin Davis, who has had nothing to do for most of the game, has lost his clean sheet by a lack of common-sense by certain people.

"It was a individual mistake but also a collective responsibility.

"Everyone is given someone to mark at set-pieces but if someone turns up who is not meant to be there we seem to think that is okay."

Darren Bent, who has linked up with the England Under-21 squad to play Sweden tomorrow, finished well after Jermaine Wright put him through.

Shefki Kuqi, who last night joined up with his Finland international team-mates for their friendly against Malta on Wednesday, also produced a piece of top-class skill to make it two a minute later and both goals delighted Royle.

He said: "They were two well-crafted goals and at that point we might have gone to town.

"But there is something in the side which switches off and we can't afford to do it.

"If we took away the goals from set pieces and silly mistakes we would have a decent goal difference."

Relegation-bound Wimbledon were looking to end a run of 10 straight defeats but took solace in scoring their first goal in eight games. Royle was happy to avoid the banana skin.

"You dread going to Wimbledon when they are on such a bad run as you don't want to be the statistic that ends that run.

"In the end we got the three points and I'm happy with that."

There may have been more goals but for two offside decisions, one which bewildered the Blues contingent.

They were also unhappy at the referee's attitude when Miller was hurt after a foul which was not given.

Royle said: "No-one could understand why the second one was ruled offside but that was not the only decision he surprised us with.

"Perhaps Mr Styles tried to justify not giving a blatant foul by then denying him treatment."