It might be called the season of goodwill but there was very little Christmas spirit on show at Portman Road.

Two players sent-off, four booked and an incident after the final whistle which will not easily be forgotten are Saturday's sorrier statistics.

West Brom officials have since apologised for the disgraceful scenes at the end of an ill-tempered match which left two Town stewards needing treatment from paramedics.

But the apology, hastily spun together after a meeting between the two clubs' representatives, was nothing more than an admission of guilt.

West Brom's chief executive John Wile refused to name and shame the Baggies players involved when he read a statement to the press some 90 minutes after the final whistle.

It is understood two Albion players - believed to be Jason van Blerk and Alan Miller - began arguing on the pitch when the players were performing their warmdown after the game.

But their difference of opinion is said to have spiralled out of control as they reached the tunnel area and as stewards went to separate them it is alleged they were assaulted.

Wile said the club were dealing with the matter internally and the police would not be pressing charges against the players involved.

Ipswich secretary David Rose simply said the club and the stewards had accepted West Brom's apologies and was not prepared to comment any further.

It rounded off an incredible match which, at one point, was under threat of not being completed at all.

After David Johnson's 14th goal of the season had put Town in the driving seat after just six minutes and James Scowcroft had tucked away a second, the cabaret really began.

Former Stoke City defender Larus Sigurdsson went in with a crude challenge on Johnson who reacted to the incident.

That sparked a melee which saw Sigurdsson first booked for the foul and then sent off for shoving Johnson who was protesting vigorously about the tackle.

But Sigurdsson should also have been joined in the dressing room by team-mate Enzo Maresca who cuffed Johnson - also booked - around the back of the head.

The incident went unnoticed but it set the tone for the rest of the match and van Blerk and Lee Hughes were also added to the referee's notebook for X-rated challenges.

The sending-off of Matt Carbon for a professional foul six minutes after the break left Albion with only nine players on the pitch and the game predictably turned into a farce.

Town, who dominated from start to finish, should have knocked up a cricket score but they had to settle for just one more courtesy of Neil Midgley.

The Town striker was making his debut for the club after Johnson was taken off with an injury and he made the most of his chance.

His loan spell earlier in the season at Second Division Luton has given him confidence and he has been pushing George Burley for his first start since his return.

And he took his chance in the 66th minute when he rounded off an excellent move from a cross by central defender John McGreal.

West Brom gave themselves a glimmer of hope with Fabian de Freitas's 77th-minute goal but, on a day when events off the pitch overshadowed those on it, it was far more than they ever deserved.

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