A brace from Martijn Reuser paved the way for Ipswich to comfortably beat Bradford at Portman Road.

The win against the Premiership's bottom club moves George Burley's side up to third in the table.

Benito Carbone had given the Bantams a shock lead at the interval but Reuser's double and Mark Burchill's first for the club gave Town a comfortable win.

Carbone opened the scoring with a 30-yard free-kick.

But Reuser's first goals of the season and Burchill's header, all in the space of 14 second-half minutes, moved Burley's men up four places in the table and into a Champions League spot.

Hermann Hreidarsson, Ipswich's £4million record signing, returned after a hamstring problem that kept him out of the two previous matches against Arsenal and Everton.

Bradford, eight points adrift at the foot of the table, recalled veteran midfielder Stuart McCall as they sought only their fourth win of a disastrous campaign.

Burley's side started brightly with a typically neat passing move forcing Gary Walsh, in the visitors goal, into a sixth-minute save.

Jim Magilton swung in a cross from the right, Burchill let the ball run and James Scowcroft swivelled to send a low shot straight at the former Manchester United goalkeeper.

Wilnis' mishit cross almost caught Walsh out - the ball just clearing his bar as he scampered back to his line - and did well to hold a fiercely driven centre from Scowcroft following a Titus Bramble surge.

Bramble then sent a header, from a Reuser free-kick - awarded after Hreidarsson was body-checked by Gary Locke - wide from eight yards as Ipswich continued to press for the opener.

Another delightful Magilton ball, that opened up the City defence, found Reuser eight yards out but Walsh acrobatically turned the Dutchman's improvised volley aside and Burchill was crowded out from the rebound.

But Town were rocked as the Bantams took a shock lead through a wondrous long-range strike from Carbone.

John McGreal fouled Ashley Ward, some 35 yards from goal, Eoin Jess touched the resultant free-kick to the diminutive Italian and Richard Wright was left clutching at thin air as the shot arrowed past the England man's despairing dive.

A hushed silence greeted the Yorkshire side's goal - only the fifth match out of 15 in the league that they have scored away from Valley Parade - from their only worthwhile effort of the opening period.

Northern Ireland international Magilton sent Scowcroft scurrying into the area five minutes before the interval. His pull-back was blocked by David Wetherall, and Jermaine Wright following up flashed his shot inches wide of the far post.

Burley withdrew Magilton, arguably the hosts' best player during the first period, at the interval and sent on Alun Armstrong up front with Scowcroft reverting to midfield.

Walsh was forced into action almost immediately, juggling a Bramble header around a post and getting booked by Andy d'Urso for protesting the award of a corner.

Bramble headed another Reuser corner over the top, before the Dutch international winger fired in a fine leveller, all of his own making.

He dispossessed Andy O'Brien on the left, raced into the area, cut back inside the chasing centre-back before curling a crisp shot beyond Wright and into the far corner.

Parity, delivered just short of the hour by Reuser's first goal of the season, should not have lasted long however, with Carbone's 68th-minute miss as incredible as his first-half opener.

Having robbed Jermaine Wright in his own half, the former Aston Villa forward fed the marauding Ward but somehow lifted the ball over the bar from point-blank range after his strike partner had squared.

Jim Jefferies' side were counting the cost of that Carbone gaffe moments later when Reuser scored his and the Blues' second with another free-kick.

Bradford, unlike the home side for Carbone's drive, constructed a four-man wall but it made scant difference as the winger whipped the ball over the bodies in front of him and inside Walsh's left-hand post.

A third was soon to follow and once again the lively Reuser was involved. His corner from the left was bulleted goalward by Hreidarsson's forehead and the slightest of touches from Burchill guided it past Walsh.

Walsh then fisted out a left-footed Reuser drive before an incident four minutes from time summed up Bradford's day.

Wright failed to hold a high ball in the area, providing substitute Robbie Blake with a free shot at goal, only for the striker's attempt to be stopped on the line by Jamie Clapham.

Ipswich 3 Bradford 1 (1)

Referee: A D'Urso

Attendance: 21820

Ipswich: Richard Wright, Fabian Wilnis, John McGreal, Titus Bramble, Hermann Hreidarsson (Jamie Clapham, 77), Martijn Reuser, Jim Magilton (Alun Armstrong, 45), Matthew Holland, Jermaine Wright (Nabil Abidallah, 85), James Scowcroft, Mark Burchill

Subs: Keith Branagan, Alun Armstrong, Jamie Clapham, Wayne Brown, Nabil Abidallah

Bradford: Gary Walsh, David Wetherall, Robert Molenaar, Andrew O'Brien, Andy Myers, David Hopkin, Stuart McCall, Gary Locke (Gunnar Halle, 28), Eoin Jess, Benito Carbone, Ashley Ward

Subs: Gareth Whalley, Robert Blake, Aidan Davison, Gunnar Halle, Wayne Jacobs