First Division Play-Off Semi-Final First Leg HOW such a full-blooded, bone-cruncher of a match ended with only one sending-off will long remain a mystery. It is probably safe, however, to assume that come the conclusion of the return leg, a few more players will have suffered the fate that befell Charlton midfielder Danny Mills at Portman Road yesterday. OK, so there were nine yellows shown by referee Mike Fletcher, but there could have been nine reds, too, on a sun-drenched afternoon of the blistering tension particular to these play-off games, where so much is at stake that the neutral barely sits still, let alone the partisan. That, in turn, goes some way to explaining why two of the First Division's most attacking, adventurous, free-flowing teams could manage just one own goal - an own-goal, too. The two sets of players were, quite simply, too preoccupied with off-the-ball elbows, fists and boots to produce any serious bursts of constructive football. This was especially so after half-time, when Ipswich, stunned by the sight of their defender Jamie Clapham toe-poking past his own goalkeeper, finally started to spot a few cracks in Charlton's exceptional rearguard. And yet, apart from the prolific David Johnson wasting two good opportunities in the final ten minutes, the expected onslaught never truly materialised, the whistle intervening time and again amid nasty, bad-tempered exchanges taking place all over the place. Sounds dull, but in no way was it - I for one can hardly wait for the second instalment at the Valley on Wednesday night, when Alan Curbishley's men protect a slender, but potentially critical, advantage. You wouldn't bet against them doing that, either. This gritty display, all the more impressive considering they were down to ten men for the final 17 minutes, makes it eight clean sheets on the spin. With a club record like that behind them, this current Charlton bunch must wonder if they will leak a goal ever again. And despite those close calls at the death, when England Under-21 star Johnson uncharacteristically fired wide on both occasions, they deserved victory on two counts. Firstly, as the visitors they could have sat back, and yet did the opposite, with a full-throttle start. Secondly, Ipswich should have had one man at least sent off too. Namely the Argentine defender Mauricio Taricco, who having clashed with the Charlton physio, then escaped red for pulling down clean-through Steve Jones before compounding matters by contributing to Mills' exit with his overreaction to an innocuous trip. Taricco's niggly individual performance summed up Ipswich's efforts. George Burley's side were a shadow of the team that had suffered only one defeat in their previous 23 games, after former Tottenham man Clapham's 12th-minute interception unfortunately diverted Clive Mendonca's cross away from Mark Bright, but past the wrong-footed Richard Wright. Thereafter, they never got to grips with the challenge of breaking down Charlton's defence. Clapham forced one fine save from Sasa Ilic, while Alex Mathie and Mark Venus also went close. But that was far too little and now they must steel themselves to make amends in London, if they are to avoid a second successive season of play-off misery.

WE'VE STILL GOT WORK TO DO WARNS CURBS   CHARLTON boss Alan Curbishley was quick to pour cold water on any premature celebrations among his victorious Addicks, despite seeing his side claim a 1-0 win and a vital away goal. Jamie Clapham's own goal makes the Londoners clear favourites to make it to Wembley against Sunderland or Sheffield United, but Curbs will still have his players in for training as usual in preparation for the return leg at the Valley on Wednesday night. "None of us are celebrating, I can assure you," he said. "We know we still have a lot to do. Ipswich are a fair side and it sets the game up for Wednesday. We still have to do our stuff and they're quite capable of coming to our place and putting us under a lot of pressure." Charlton are unlucky not to hold a greater advantage. Mark Venus appeared to handle in the area, but the referee only awarded a free kick, while Danny Mills was unlucky to be sent off for two bookable offences, the second a foul on Mauricio Taricco. "I've heard that the hand-ball was in the box, and that Danny did not make contact," said Curbishley. "People who've seen the replay have said the same thing. If Danny has not made contact, I may be able to appeal, but if not, he'll be suspended for Wednesday. That will be good news for Ipswich boss George Burley, who believes that his team's excellent away form could be enough to take them to Wembley: "It was not an ideal result, but all credit to Charlton. They worked very hard and didn't allow us to play our football. But it's still all to play for. We had an excellent first-leg result last year and ended up losing it on away goals. "If you look at our away form since Christmas, it's been excellent. One or two players maybe didn't play up to the calibre we know today and we have to learn from that." IPSWICH: Wright, Stockwell, Taricco, Dyer, Venus, Cundy, Clapham (Uhlenbeek 67), Holland, Johnson, Mathie, Petta (Scowcroft 67) Subs Not Used: Sonner Booked: Venus, Taricco, Cundy, Mathie, Johnson CHARLTON: Ilic, Mills, Bowen, K. Jones (Brown 85), Rufus, Youds, Newton, Kinsella, Bright (S. Jones 65), Mendonca, Heaney (Barness 75) Sent Off: Mills (74) Booked: Mills, Kinsella, S. Jones, Heaney Att: 21,681 Ref: M Fletcher (Warley)

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