Kevin Blackwell avoided the manager of the month's curse as Sheffield United stepped up their charge for automatic promotion with a comfortable win over Ipswich.

Blackwell, named Coca-Cola Championship manager of the month for March on Thursday following his side's six-match unbeaten run, saw them cruise to a third straight league win thanks to first-half goals from Greg Halford and Darius Henderson.

The in-form Blades were the dominant force throughout and there was never any danger of Blackwell being unable to celebrate the accolade with victory - United's 10th at Bramall Lane this season.

Halford opened the scoring with a 25-yard thunderbolt and the Blades gave their promotion charge added impetus when Henderson headed home a second.

Ipswich still hope to gatecrash the play-offs with a late run themselves - they started the day seven points adrift - but Owen Garvan blasted their best first-half chance into the side-netting and home goalkeeper Paddy Kenny kept out Pim Balkestein's late second-half header in fine style.

On this evidence Jim Magilton's side lack the physical presence to trouble the genuine promotion contenders such as Blackwell's increasingly confident outfit, who have now been beaten only twice in their last 19 league matches.

Blackwell made just one change from the side that despatched nine-man Cardiff 13 days ago, with striker Jamie Ward starting in place of John-Joe O'Toole.

Alex Bruce, Garvan, Kevin Lisbie, Pim Balkestein and Veliche Shumulikoski were all drafted in for Ipswich, who introduced five new faces to their starting line-up.

Ward flashed an early header wide for the Blades when he should have at least forced Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright to save, while former Blades midfielder Alan Quinn was off target with a free-kick for the visitors.

Ipswich skipper Wright was quick off his line to smother Henderson's effort from a tight angle in the 16th minute and from David Cotterill's subsequent corner home captain Chris Morgan's looping header was inches wide.

But Halford fired the Blades into a 19th-minute lead in stunning fashion when his right-footed drive from 25 yards arrowed inside Wright's left-hand post.

The Blades' superior football was rewarded with a second goal eight minutes later.

Impressive right-back Kyle Naughton clipped in a measured cross and Henderson outjumped the visiting defence to power his header beyond the wrong-footed Wright.

Ward went close to adding a third for United just after the restart, but his shot following a mazy run to the edge of the penalty area lacked power and rolled wide.

Henderson then shot tamely into Wright's hands following Cotterill's cut-back and the busy Ward rifled a right-footed shot from outside the area narrowly wide.

Ipswich defender Balkestein directed his header towards the top corner in the closing stages, but Kenny was equal to it, while visiting defender Ben Thatcher - already warned for an ill-timed tackle in the first half - was booked for a late lunge on Naughton.

If the Blades took their foot off the pedal in the second half, with the game effectively wrapped up in the first, Ipswich were unable to capitalise and a large chunk of the 25,315 Bramall Lane crowd left in good voice ahead of the six-game run-in.

Teams:

Sheff Utd Kenny, Halford, Morgan, Kilgallon (Bromby 87), Naysmith, Naughton, Cotterill (Beattie 67), Montgomery, Stephen Quinn (O'Toole 75), Henderson, Ward.

Subs Not Used: Lupoli, Hendrie.

Booked: Naysmith, Bromby.

Goals: Halford 19, Henderson 27.

Ipswich Richard Wright, Bruce, Balkestein, Campo (Volz 73), Thatcher, Norris (Haynes 55), Garvan, Shumulikoski, Quinn, Lisbie, Stead (Counago 54).

Subs Not Used: Bialkowski, Miller.

Booked: Quinn, Thatcher.

Att: 25,315

Ref: Nigel Miller (Durham).