Alun Armstrong, who almost became a Saints player four years ago, returned to haunt them at Portman Road this afternoon.

Armstrong a £500,000 midweek signing, fired Ipswich ahead with a second goal in a two-minute burst and then iced the cake in the last minute with a goal that will be credited as an own goal to Wayne Bridge.

Saints paid the price for two pieces of slack defending from set-pieces as first James Scowcroft and then Armstrong shot from close range.

Scowcroft stabbed in Jim Magil-ton's low cross from five yards and Armstrong punished Saints when the marking again went missing at a corner two minutes later.

Those two moments undid all the work of a stirling first-half performance after James Beattie had given Saints a second-minute lead with his eighth goal in seven games.

With Dean Richards in commanding form after being restored to the centre of defence, Paul Jones was never troubled in the first period.

And Saints might well have gone in at half-time more than one goal up as Beattie had a close range effort deflected over the bar by Hermann Hreidarsson from six yards and then saw keeper Richard Wright push an effort on to his post.

The game ended with Uwe Rosler being helped off the pitch following a nasty clash of heads with Mark Venus.

FOR FULL MATCH REPORTS AND PICTURES SEE TONIGHT'S PINK AND MONDAY'S SOUTHERN DAILY ECHO.