Hull's hopes of avoiding relegation from the Coca-Cola Championship suffered a major setback with a desperate 5-2 reverse at home to Ipswich which drops them back into the relegation zone.

While Ipswich should be praised for their ruthlessness in front of goal, the home team defended like novices and look odds-on to be heading back to League One on this evidence.

Centre-back Danny Coles in particular had a wretched evening and was arguably culpable for three of Ipswich's goals.

Coles and his team-mates appeared to be sitting pretty once Dean Windass gave Phil Brown's men a deserved lead after 22 minutes.

But once the enigmatic Francis Jeffers

making his first start for the club since joining on loan from Blackburn - equalised two minutes later, Hull went into tailspin.

Coles' dithering paved the way for Jaime Peters to give Jim Magilton's players the advantage four minutes before the break, before Alan Lee scored not long after the restart.

Jason De Vos then put the seal on a resounding away win when Coles - dragged off after 75 minutes amid a cacophony of jeering - headed the ball straight to Ipswich's captain, who battered the ball home from close range.

Substitute Danny Haynes' rocket confirmed a terrible result for the home side, who book-ended the scoring when Windass scored a consolation penalty.

Few would have wagered on a 5-2 away win in the early exchanges, however, as Hull made an enterprising start and nearly went ahead inside the first minute after Stuart Elliott stabbed Nicky Forster's adroit pass over the crossbar.

Elliott then played a major part in Hull's opener when he did well to head Sam Ricketts' deep cross towards goal.

The Northern Ireland international's attempt cracked against the crossbar but fell kindly to Windass, who smashed home the resulting rebound.

But shortly after Windass' breakthrough, parity was restored when an aimless punt into City's 18-yard area ricocheted through to Jeffers, who poked the ball past Boaz Myhill from seven yards.

Ipswich gained new-discovered confidence from their equaliser and struck gold when Coles proved no match for the raw strength of Lee, who bundled the ball to Peters, unmarked on the left of Hull's 18-yard box.

Although the Town winger's right-footed curler was on target, a crucial deflection off Ricketts saw the ball loop over Myhill and into the back of the net.

Lee again emerged Coles' tormentor for Ipswich's third goal four minutes after the restart.

The former Cardiff striker chased down Jeffers' accurate right-flank cross and brushed aside the Hull central defender before angling the ball away from Myhill's grasp into the bottom-right corner.

Coles' night then nose-dived spectacularly when his senseless header off Owen Garvan's free-kick fell to De Vos, who could not believe his luck.

Haynes drove down the right and lashed home a really good goal from a tight angle with nine minutes remaining, while Hull fans at least at something to shout about when John Welsh was fouled by Garvan inside Ipswich's penalty box.

Windass tucked away the spot-kick but it was a hollow conversion for the hosts, considering what had happened before it.

Teams

Hull Myhill, Ricketts, Coles (Turner 66), Delaney, Dawson,Parlour (Welsh 62), Ashbee, Marney, Forster,Elliott (Duffy 66), Windass.

Subs Not Used: Duke, Parkin.

Booked: Delaney.

Goals: Windass 22, 83 pen.

Ipswich Price, Wright, De Vos, Bruce, Harding,Peters (Haynes 72), Garvan, Legwinski, Roberts,Jeffers (Walters 63), Lee (Richards 79).

Subs Not Used: Supple, O'Callaghan.

Booked: Roberts.

Goals: Jeffers 24, Peters 41, Lee 49, De Vos 62, Haynes 81.

Att: 18,056

Ref: G Salisbury (Lancashire).