Crewe old boy Jermaine Wright silenced a barracking from the home crowd with a last-minute winner for high-flying Ipswich.

Jamie Clapham had opened the scoring for Ipswich on the hour with a 25-yard screamer after James Scowcroft's knock-down.

Paul Tait equalised for Crewe after a clever free-kick from Kenny Lunt found the striker at the far post who powered his header past England squad keeper Richard Wright.

The game looked set to finish level but then Jermaine Wright, sold to Ipswich for £500,000 at the start of the season, drove home from outside the box in the 89th minute.

A well-organised Ipswich took the game to Crewe in the opening minutes. Jim Magilton turned sharply inside the box, but David Wright made a superb block. Richard Naylor picked up the loose ball but his shot from close range drifted just wide.

Crewe pressed with Rodney Jack tearing down the left. The ball was whipped into the box, Mark Rivers touched on to Tait, but the former Northwich Victoria's man miscued into the grateful arms of Ipswich keeper Wright.

Paul Tait had a goal disallowed for Crewe for the second time in two weeks..

Lunt's corner was headed back across goal by Chris Lightfoot, Mark Foran flicked on and Tait, whose goal at West Brom last week was cancelled out, tapped home, only to see referee Kevin Lynch rule it out for offside.

Marcus Bignot cleared David Johnson's header off the line in the final minutes of the first half from a rare Ipswich corner and John McGreal's follow-up was driven wide.

Ipswich continued where they had left off after the break, with Crewe's Paul Boertien, on loan from Premier League Derby, clearing Scowcroft's header off the line.

Johnson came close with a header Magilton's corner but David Wright was able to head off the line, then was quickly up to his feet to block Scowcroft's follow-up.

Crewe came close from a neat move which saw Neil Sorvel thread the ball through to Jack, but the striker hit the post from close range.

Teams

Crewe: Kearton, Bignot, Foran, D. Wright, Boertien (S. Wright 76), Sorvel, Lunt, Lightfoot,Jack (Little 87), Tait, Rivers.

Subs Not Used: Welsby, Cramb, Street.

Goals: Tait 64.

Ipswich: R. Wright, Clegg, McGreal, Mowbray, Clapham, Wilnis, Holland, Magilton, Scowcroft, Johnson, Naylor (J. Wright 45).

Subs Not Used: Stockwell, Salmon, Brown, Axeldal.

Booked: Mowbray, Wilnis.

Goals: Clapham 60, J. Wright 89.

Att: 6,393

Ref: K Lynch (Kirk Hammerton).