Just like Barnsley's, his season keeps getting better.

Next thing you know and he'll be in the Scottish International squad.
If he isn't someone's messed up.

He scored three last night, leading Barnsley to a comfortable win just as Ipswich looked to be coming on strong.

Captain Howard and his team were ultimately stronger.

"I thought he was superb tonight," assistant manager Ryan Kidd commented. "He led by example. He was a big voice, a big leader. That's what you need because there's no doubt about it the lads were tired before they went out there, there were jaded legs. Sheer heart, graft desire and determination got them through. We've beaten a side there that are probably going to be in the play-offs so it's a great scalp for us."

They came wearing Blue shirts with sponsors E-on splashed all over. The resemblance to Chelsea ended there. Ipswich made a better fist of horrible cold, wet, windy Oakwell until Howard slotted his second goal and the game was safe.

The whole thing might have been called off a couple of hours before kick off. Kidd explained: "There was a deluge came down round about 5ish. The referee said there was a load of water over the pitch, he was very concerned. It cleared within about half an hour, the ground staff did a wonderful job.

There was another deluge and quite a bit of standing water but the pitch played perfectly. There's been a lot on nonsense said about this pitch. Okay, it's not fantastic but it's flat and it's conducive to some good passing."

And good goals.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

Ipswich took the lead through Pablo Counago, Howard equalised before the break, Jon Macken made it 2-1 before Howard hit a penalty. Howard's third goal came amid claims it was helped over the line by David Wright's head.

No way, said Howard. "It's a definite hat-trick. The ball was in target, it went in. I've got the match ball. The referee gave it to me.

It's a first career hat-trick," he stressed.

Wright wasn't arguing otherwise.

It has been an oh so different story in the first half.

FA Cup quarter final hero Kayode Odejayi could not find the goal touch that saw off the cup holders on Saturday. He had three half chances to open the scoring before Ipswich struck.

Lewin Nyatanga, back in the team but at left back for a change, delivered a long low centre which was centimetres away from the big centre forward's far post slide in.

Jon Macken, cup tied on Saturday but like Nyatanga back in the team again, created the next two openings for Odejayi. He drove wide in
the eighth minute and nine minutes later blasted over the top from seven yards out following a Macken nod on.

Ipswich's second attack of the evening broke the stalemate. Alan Quinn fed a pass in for Macedonian international Velice Sumulikoski to smash a shot from 20 yards. Keeper Luke Steele parried it at his left hand post and the ball rolled out for Pablo Counago to prod home.

Sumulikoski rolled a good opportunity wide from almost point black before Barnsley were level through club top scorer Howard. Bobby Hassell threaded the ball in and the skipper fired home from a sharp angle and 18 yards out..

Diego Leon, who had replaced broken nose victim Martin Devaney in the team, turned to create space for a shot moments later but cracked it straight at ipswich keeper Stephen Bywater.

The half finished with Jason de Vos having to head off his own line after Bywater came and missed a cross from right back Rob Kozluk.

Barnsley were leading with-in five minutes of the re-start. A taste of things to come stung Ipswich when Howard bent in a right-wing corner which Macken diverted in with his head from less than four yards.

The visitors claimed a penalty from a Stephen Foster foul on Alan Lee but referee Darren Drysdale agreed with lines-women Amy Raynor and awarded a freekick.

Ipswich then hammered Luke Steele's bar twice within eight minutes. Lee did it from range as did Counago.

From then on in the 65th minute Ipswich gradually fell apart. Only Sumulikoski knows why he body-checked Campbell-Ryce WWF-style and inside the box. Ref Drysdale couldn't but give the penalty and Howard kept his 100 per cent record from 12 yards this season, forcing home low into the right hand corner of Bywater's goal.

Less than five minutes from the end and Barnsley struck again. Howard's corner from the right was grade A class one. It bent in at the near-post, Wright got his head to it.

Too late to do anything but help it over the line.

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