Ipswich Town dig in to collect three points at 10-man Accrington Stanley in tough week leaving Matt Gill proud

It wasn't very pretty but Ipswich Town travelled back from fellow promotion contender Accrington Stanley last night with another precious three points following a 2-1 victory on a testing pitch in Lancashire.

New Town boss Paul Cook (below) watched on from the stands as the Blues came from behind at 10-man Stanley to make it three successive wins in Sky Bet League One, seeing them leapfrog their opponents into seventh in the table. They remain two points adrift of the top six.

A scruffy Dion Charles goal opened the scoring at the beginning of an action-packed first half before Seamus Conneely picked up a straight red card, James Norwood seeing the resulting penalty saved by Nathan Baxter in the Accrington goal.

James Wilson and Norwood netted late in the half to complete the turnaround before a battling second-half display against the spirited Reds was enough to secure the points.

With Paul Lambert and Stuart Taylor having left the club by 'mutual consent' following Saturday's 2-1 home victory over sixth-placed Doncaster Rovers, first-team coach Matt Gill was put in temporary charge, assisted by Bryan Klug.

And the former Norwich City coach was delighted with how the players stuck to their task in a week full of distractions off the pitch.

"I'm really pleased we managed to get the three points although we made things a little harder than we should have in the second half," he told iFollow Ipswich.

"The lads deserve so much credit, though. It's been an eventful period for the club but they put in a professional display in what is a very difficult place to come.

"We were a bit edgy and got off to a slow start but the lads stuck to the task. We missed some chances but they showed bravery to stick with the plan and deliver.

"It was great to have Bryan (Klug) and Jimmy (Walker, goalkeeper coach) to work with and most importantly I am pleased the lads could get on the bus for a long journey home having picked up three points."

But Stanley manager John Coleman felt it was a very fortuitous night for Ipswich, and he was less than happy with some of the decisions.

New manager Cook is set to hold his first press conference tomorrow ahead of taking charge of the team for the first time for Saturday's early kick-off (1pm) at 14th-placed Gillingham.

Read more: All the latest Ipswich Town FC news