Last updated on .From the section Championship

Tom Ince scored for the third game in a row for Stoke

Stoke stretched their unbeaten league run to eight matches as they saw off bottom-of-the-table Ipswich with a goal in each half.

Tom Ince gave the hosts the lead in first-half stoppage time as he got on the end of a low Sam Clucas cross, but it came against the run of play.

Jack Lankester had earlier struck a post and fired narrowly over the crossbar for Ipswich, managed by former Potters boss Paul Lambert.

Joe Allen doubled Stoke's lead on the hour after more Ipswich pressure, meeting Erik Pieters' cross from deep with a finish on the run.

Stoke climb to 10th, four points off the play-offs with their third win in the past eight games, while Ipswich are seven points adrift at the bottom.

Lambert was unable to halt a run of four consecutive defeats on his first return to the club he left as manager in May.

His side arguably deserved more from their first league meeting with Stoke since 2008, but Lambert is still without a win in his six matches in charge at Ipswich.

After the game, he also confirmed Ipswich midfielder Cole Skuse will miss the next two months with a knee injury.

Stoke City manager Gary Rowett told BBC Radio Stoke:

"The positives for us are we scored two very good goals, had a clean sheet and the win turns our recent run into a very good run.

"But I thought we were poor. For some reason we looked like we lacked a bit of energy and Ipswich had more energy than us.

"We did enough to win the game but I was disappointed with lots of aspects of the performance."

Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert told BBC Radio Suffolk:

"I thought we were brilliant the whole game. We came here with a strategy. This is a tough place to come, I know it like the back of my hand.

"We were the better side. I'm disappointed by the result but the performance was excellent.

"Some of the football we played was great. We're a really young side but to come here and do what we've done is excellent."