Ipswich Town went back to the future to welcome back Kieron Dyer, who was in the crowd, and salute Danny Haynes, whose fleetness of foot and directness evoked memories of the former Portman Road winger. However, Haynes caused almost as much frustration for the hosts, who are threatening the play-offs places, as for the opposition.

His mother may give him a weekly allowance to spend – even to pay a recent driving fine – and he has often been treated with kid gloves by Ipswich, but yesterday, at times, he was at his mischievous best. Head down and with an unswerving gallop on the right wing, he terrorised a desperate Norwich City. His fizzing, low cross forced Alex Pearce to turn the ball into his own net and then he latched on to Pablo Couñago’s neat pass to beat David Marshall for his fourth goal in five East Anglian derbies.

“Had we not won the game I would have strangled Danny,” Jim Magilton, the Ipswich manager, said. “We saw the best and worst of him in the second half. He is a threat, has pace, but needs finesse – players as raw as him often do.”

Alex Bruce had a header well saved, Tommy Miller screwed wide, and Jon Walters and Couñago missed excellent opportunities to extend the lead.

Glenn Roeder emerged more than 90 minutes after the match, apparently having watched a different game in which his Norwich team had a chance of an equaliser. Roeder looked as grave as their position, four points above the relegation zone, after a woeful performance. Even their early goal was a nothing shot from Ched Evans that dribbled in. “It was disappointing and we need to be positive in the last three matches,” Roeder said.

Ipswich Town (4-4-2): S Bywater – D Simpson, A Bruce (sub: S Castro, 57min), J de Vos, D Wright – D Haynes, T Miller O Garvan, A Quinn – S Kuqi (sub: J Walters, 36), P Couñago (sub: V Sumulikoski, 90). Substitutes not used: N Colgan, J Rhodes. Booked: Bruce, Quinn.

Norwich City (4-4-2): D Marshall – J Otsemobor, A Pearce, G Doherty, R Bertrand (sub: M Camara, 72) – J Cureton, D Russell, M Pattison, D Huckerby – C Evans, D Dublin (sub: L Croft, 64; sub: K Gibbs, 90). Substitutes not used: M Gilks, J Shackell. Booked: Huckerby, Evans.

Referee: M Jones. Attendance: 29,656.