England: Jamie Ward scored twice as Leicester celebrated their promotion to the Premier League on Monday with a 3-0 win at title holders Preston.
The Foxes’ return to the top flight was sealed after Leeds’ 4-0 capitation at QPR on Friday.
Enzo Maresca’s men won at Deepde to guarantee Ipswich top spot with a game to spare, and they did so easily, thanks in large part to their 37-year-old captain.
On another night, he played a key role for the traveling fans, scoring a season-high 20 goals.
“We know this is going to be a tough game but we got the job done. It’s great to celebrate with the fans,” said Wardy.
“How do you not love a signing?
Ward opened the scoring in the 36th minute when he found the far corner after Wout Faes’ shot rebounded off the post and into an unguarded net.
Casey McAteer put the stamp on the title party when he headed in Abdul Fatawu’s cross after 23 minutes.
After retaining a surprising number of squads last season, Leicester had to return to their Premier League fortunes at the first attempt with a huge loss.
In March, he was accused of breaching revenue and sustainability regulations (PSR) during his last three years in the Premier League’s top flight.
If found guilty, Leicester could start life in the top flight with a points deduction.
The battle to join them in next season’s Premier League will come down to the final day of the Championship season on Saturday.
Only the top two progress automatically, with the third through sixth teams progressing to a play-off to determine the third promotion place.
Vardy leads Leicester to Championship title
