Tommy Miller's double helped promotion-chasing Ipswich to an emphatic win over a disappointing Nottingham Forest at Portman Road.

Richard Naylor, Ian Westlake, Shefki Kuqi and Darren Bent were also on target to complete a miserable day for Forest who struggled from the first whistle to the last.

Joe Royle's side were coming off a run off three successive Coca-Cola Championship defeats and they were desperate to buck that trend and outplayed the visitors right from the kick-off.

Jason De Vos returned from suspension for Ipswich and fellow defender Naylor recovered from a hamstring injury to maintain his record of playing in every Championship game this season. Forest boss Gary Megson welcomed back David Friio from a calf problem.

The hosts made a lively start with Kuqi looking sharp but it was Miller who had the first effort, curling a left-footed shot from distance wide of the target in the fifth minute.

Forest were struggling to get to grips with Miller and he almost gave his side the lead after quarter of an hour. Kuqi's clever pass presented him with the chance but his shot with the outside of his right foot was too close to Forest goalkeeper Paul Gerrard.

The visitors had won their last two away matches, their only two Championship victories on the road this season, but they never looked like making it three in a row as the Tractor Boys took control.

Their pressure paid off after 27 minutes when Naylor nodded them in front. Skipper Jim Magilton sent in the corner and Naylor escaped his marker to send a powerful header into the net from the edge of the six yard box.

David Unsworth almost doubled the lead a minute later when his cross-cum-shot struck the woodwork and Bent blasted the rebound into the side-netting.

But the home fans did not have long to wait and Westlake scored the easiest of tap-ins after Gerrard palmed Kuqi's header into his path 10 minutes before the break.

Magilton did not appear for the second half, meaning De Vos took over the captain's armband and under his guidance the hosts started where they left off at the end of the opening period.

Bent did the hard work on the by-line and rolled the ball in to Miller who made no mistake from 12 yards five minutes after the restart.

Forest boss Megson sent on Paul Evans and Neil Harris in place of Darryl Powell and Scott Dobie but the visitors could not get near Ipswich who refused to sit back despite their three-goal cushion.

Kris Commons had a rare shot at goal for Forest but his effort from distance was easily held by Kelvin Davis in the home goal.

Miller grabbed his second from the penalty spot after 64 minutes following Wes Morgan's trip on Bent and when Fabian Wilnis crashed a header off the crossbar two minutes later Kuqi hammered home the fifth.

Bent got in on the act with 20 minutes left when his deflected shot from the edge of the area brought an end to a six-match goal drought and sent a reminder to top two Wigan and Sunderland that Ipswich were back on track.

Teams:

Ipswich Davis, De Vos, Naylor (Horlock 84), Unsworth, Wilnis, Miller, Magilton (Currie 45), Westlake, Richards, Kuqi (Scowcroft 74), Bent.

Subs Not Used: Price, Counago.

Goals: Naylor 27, Westlake 35, Miller 50, 64 pen, Kuqi 67, Bent 71.

Nottm Forest Gerrard, Curtis, Melville, Morgan, Doig, Rogers (Perch 59), Friio, Powell (Evans 56), Commons, Dobie (Harris 56), Taylor.

Subs Not Used: Doyle, Thompson.

Booked: Commons, Harris.

Att: 25,765

Ref: C Webster (Tyne & Wear).