VIEWERS of Swedish TV were left startled by the goings on at Portman Road more than 16 years ago.

Crewe's fixtures with Ipswich have often been laden with goals after the sides first locked horns back in 1997. But none more so than on a crazy winter afternoon in East Anglia which left the respective managers Dario Gradi and Joe Royle bewildered by their sides' defending.

The First Division's remote Scandinavian audience - Ipswich games were a popular draw in Sweden in the noughties - were already drooling after goalscoring midfielder Tommy Miller, a previous Crewe transfer target, scored twice inside the first 10 minutes.

Dean Ashton volleyed Crewe back into contention before the break, but the half-time scoreline provided little clue as to the mayhem that was to follow in front of both goals in the second half.

Crewe were level twice thanks to own goals from John McGreal and Matt Richards, scored either side of Shefki Kuqi heading in Ipswich's third.

It was a goal which left popular Trinidadian keeper Clayton Ince in the line of fire of his manager.

Ince was a commanding presence in the box after assuming the mantle of Jason Kearton, but if he had a weak spot it was dealing with long-range shooting and Ipswich offered plenty of that on this bitterly cold day.

The keeper lost sight of Martin Reuser's flying effort and when Pablo Counago made it 5-3 it looked like Royle's side were home and hosed with 15 minutes left.

But in one of only 11 appearances he made for Crewe, striker James Robinson cut the defecit with his one senior goal before Billy Jones, then in his first season of senior football, wasted the chance to make it 5-5, blasting straight at Kelvin Davis with the goal at his mercy.

Gradi wasn't holding back about Ince's efforts afterwards and insisted: "I think it is the worst Clayton has played for us. We don't want him coming off his line when he is not comfortable.

"If he can't stop the long shots then that's a problem we either live with or we find someone who can."

Ince had strayed off his line when he was beaten by Kuqi for the third - and that was only a couple of weeks after a similar mistake had allowed Lee Mills to grab a giant-killing FA Cup third round winner for Telford United at Gresty Road.

Finnish centre forward Kuqi was also on hand to finish the game off by curling in the sixth and the game's 10th in the dying minutes.

Ipswich Town 6, Crewe 4. January 17, 2004.

Ipswich: Davis; Richards, McGreal, Naylor, J Wright; Magilton (Santos), Miller, Bart-Williams (Diallo), Westlake (Reuser); Counago, Kuqi Subs: Bowditch, Marshall.

Crewe: Ince; B Jones (Walker), Foster, D Wright, Tonkin; Lunt, Sorvel, Higdon, Rix (Robinson); S Jones, Ashton (Edwards) Subs: Bankole, Roberts.