Ipswich hit six past Exeter to seal League One promotion in emphatic style

Ipswich sealed their return to the Championship after a four-year absence with an emphatic 6-0 defeat of Exeter.

Five goals came in a pulsating 24-minute first-half spell through Massimo Luongo, George Hirst, Nathan Broadhead and two from Conor Chaplin. Wes Burns added the sixth after the break.

Town took the lead in the eighth minute through Chaplin, who struck a perfect shot from just outside the penalty area.

Christian Walton, in the Ipswich goal, had to get down low to beat out a shot from Exeter’s Demetri Mitchell but Ipswich quickly extended their advantage to five.

First Luongo rifled an angled shot high into the net in the 16th minute and Hirst got the third six minutes later when he bundled home a cross from Broadhead.

The fourth arrived in the 28th minute via a penalty after Alex Hartridge fouled Burns in the box. Broadhead dispatched the spot-kick and the fifth came from a Chaplin volley in the 32nd minute.

Burns made it 6-0 three minutes into the second half when he lobbed the ball over the onrushing Exeter keeper Gary Woods to complete the scoring in front of a record 29,334 attendance.

Kieran McKenna’s side moved on to 97 points and will battle for the League One title in the final round of matches, standing just a point adrift of also-promoted Plymouth.