Ipswich’s defenders had been well-briefed and stood up to what has become an expected barrage of crosses and set-pieces at the Britannia Stadium but there was little they could do about the 25-yard drive from Liam Lawrence that keeps Stoke at the top of the Championship.

Tony Pulis’ team have just one defeat in their last 18 league matches and they are a point clear at the summit but the manager said: “If we don’t approach it like we have the first two- thirds of the season, we’ll get our pants pulled down and our backsides slapped. We’ve just got to keep our foot on the pedal.”

From the first long throw from Rory Delap, who can seemingly reach the edge of the opposition’s six-yard box from any position on the pitch, there was always an Ipswich head to clear and when there was not, Stephen Bywater saved from Delap and Ricardo Fuller struck wide.

Ipswich’s Alan Lee should have opened the scoring but sliced wide from eight yards and four minutes before the break Dan Harding had a chance to clear but only reached Lawrence, who rifled the ball into the top corner for his fourth goal in four matches. Pulis described Lawrence’s 13th of the campaign as “fit to grace any game, an absolutely fantastic strike”. Having spent the first half in the comfort of the directors’ box, the frustrated Ipswich manager Jim Magilton was sent back to the stand just 12 minutes into the second period.

The Irishman was given a stern warning by Michael Jones after a touchline dispute but the referee had barely turned around before one comment too many had Magilton heading back for his seat in the stand. Magilton played down claims he had a beer can thrown at him on his way back to the seats by saying: “I have no idea, listen I’m from west Belfast, are you having a laugh?”. He added: “The multi-ball system is a joke. The ball had to come in quicker and the referee came and had a word with me. I explained it in a very calm manner but he wasn’t having it, he’s the centre of attention and I get sent to the stand.”

His team rarely looked like regaining parity apart from a powerful strike from Velice Sumulikoski, which was palmed away by Steve Simonsen with a quarter of an hour to go, and Stoke, who were last in the top flight in 1985, held on to add further momentum to their unlikely charge for promotion.

Match details

Stoke: Simonsen, Griffin, Shawcross, Cort, Dickinson, Lawrence, Delap, Whelan, Cresswell, Sidibe (Diao 81), Fuller.
Subs: Fulop, Parkin, Gallagher, Wilkinson.
Booked: Lawrence.
Goals: Lawrence 42.
Ipswich: Bywater, Bruce, Naylor, De Vos, Harding, Norris (Garvan 76), Sumulikoski, Miller, Quinn (Haynes 46), Walters, Lee (Counago 72).
Subs: Colgan, Wright.
Referee: Michael Jones (Cheshire).