THE irony of football wasn't lost on Dave Artell after Crewe failed to capitalise on a second-half lead against an Ipswich side finishing with 10 men at a bitterly cold Gresty Road.

When the two sides met at Portman Road three months ago the Alex boss was understandably aggrieved after his side dominated from start to finish, but succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.

Today they finished with a point after a laboured performance, that had plenty of application about it, but very little polish.

The one moment they did produce some sheen, Charlie Kirk despatched a curling second-half finish past Tractor Boys keeper Tomas Holy for what would have been a fitting winner.

With Ipswich spluttering up front to match their work across the rest of the pitch you would have backed Kirk's 59th-minute strike to have been just that.

Paul Lambert is under pressure with his side totting up three defeats in their previous four outings going into this game. Injuries and suspension had left them short up front and Crewe were largely untroubled by stand-in centre forward Freddie Sears.

But a raft of second-half changes made a difference and one of them, Aaron Drinan, produced the equaliser with his first goal for the East Anglians. Unlike Kirk's classy finish it was a scrappy affair, as Artell described it, "a tackle" rather than a shot, which summed up the game.

Another tackle, a wild one at that, made by sub Teddy Bishop on Luke Murphy, produced an 82nd-minute red card for the midfielder, but despite Crewe's man advantage the game petered out to a draw.

"I don't think in the end we deserved more than a point. We performed better at Ipswich and lost the game 1-0. We weren't as good today but drew 1-1," said Artell, who was able to recall Pickering among the five changes he made to the side losing heavily at Gillingham on Tuesday.

"That was the strongest team we've had out for a while and it does make a difference. Ipswich have players being paid thousands and thousands of pounds a week on their bench while in recent weeks we've had first year professionals on ours."

But while Harry Pickering, amid continued transfer speculation, and Mikael Mandron, in for Chris Porter up front, made their mark on their returns, Billy Jones looked short of match sharpness at the back and Middlesbrough loanee Stephen Walker offered little before being hauled off soon after the break.

Artell pointed out: "We just felt a change was needed as we were trying to win a game of football. Stephen wasn't having the best of games, but he's only been here a week and he apologised which he didn't have to.

"I told him he didn't have to apologise, he's learning and that's what he's here for."

Owen Dale was drafted onto the right flank, but it was from the left the breakthrough came with a super finish from Kirk, who latched onto Ryan Wintle's excellent work, opened his body up and planted a right-footed finish into the far corner.

Ipswich posed the greater threat in the first half when Dave Richards made decent saves from Luke Thomas and, in particular, Gwion Edward's curler. They were close to an equaliser when sub James Norwood appeared ready to apply a far-post to Edwards' cross, but Omar Beckles slid in to save the day.

But Drinan punished some poor play to bundle home the 75th-minute equaliser with Alan Judge's cross bouncing off Olly Lancashire, who then attempted to make the block in vain.

Ipswich boss Lambert had a different view of the game, perhaps understandable as the pressure mounts on his two-year reign.

"We dominated the first half and our tempo was really good. Crewe scored against the run of play, but we changed it a little bit and we got the goal," he said.

"I thought we were the better team; Crewe had spells which they are going to have being the home team.

"As for the sending off, Teddy Bishop is not like that. If he had put the brakes on in the box he gets a penalty [for the midfielder's first yellow card]."

Crewe: Richards; Jones, Beckles, Lancashire, Pickering; Wintle, Murphy (Porter), Finney (Evans); Walker (Dale), Mandron, Kirk (Powell). Subs: Jaaskelainen, Johnson, Lowery.

Ipswich Holy; Chambers, Woolfenden, McGuiness, Kenlock; Dozzell, Judge, Thomas (Bishop); Downes, Sears (Norwood), Edwards (Drinan). Subs: Cornell, Baggott, Ward, Lankaster.