Sheff Utd lead Ipswich at break

Sheffield United 2, Ipswich Town 0 (half-time)

Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown celebrated his 26th birthday in style by firing his side into an early FA Cup fourth round lead over Ipswich.

Brown opened the scoring with a well-struck right-foot drive with 19 minutes gone and defender Phil Jagielka made it two on 31 minutes as the Blades took control.

United boss Neil Warnock made five changes to the side which lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the Worthington Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday night as the suspended Michael Tonge and injury victims Paddy Kenny, Shaun Murphy, Nick Montgomery made way, as well as the rested Wayne Allison.

Dutchman Wilko de Vogt took over from Kenny in goal, while Rob Kozluk, Tyrone Thompson, Steve Kabba and, making his first start for the club, loan signing Tommy Mooney were drafted in to face an unchanged Ipswich team.

Both sides saw plenty of the ball in the early stages with Brown providing much of the thrust for the Blades and wing-back Fabian Wilnis finding space down the right for the visitors.

However, neither team was able to find a final ball after reaching the danger area, a second-minute Thomas Gaardsoe header which flew high over and a Jagielka shot which ended up in the side-netting a minute later representing the best scoring opportunities inside the first 15 minutes.

Jim Magilton and Tommy Miller were starting to gain the upper hand in central midfield, but just as the tide seemed to be turning towards the Suffolk side, Brown struck.

There seemed to be little on when he turned into space on 19 minutes, but after striding towards goal, he curled a low right-foot shot past Andy Marshall’s despairing dive and into the bottom corner.

Bent and strike partner Pablo Counago combined effectively for the first time four minutes later as the Spaniard worked his way into a promising shooting position, but his effort flew high and wide.

Counago should really have levelled on 26 minutes when he was presented with a golden opportunity from Jermaine Wright’s cross, but scuffed his shot wide.

And his side were made to pay 14 minutes before the break when Mooney’s header from Quinn’s corner came back off the post and Jagielka fired the rebound home to make it 2-0.

Ipswich changed their shape by pushing skipper Matt Holland up from central defence into midfield as they searched for a way back into the game, but a 37th-minute Gaardsoe header from a Magilton corner which sailed just past de Vogt’s right post was as close as they came to doing so.