What a difference a few goals have made to Kyle Lightbourne's season at Second Division club Stoke City! After four goals in his last three games (five in four if you count the own goal against Cambridge) the Bermudian striker has not only won over the Stoke fans who were booing him earlier this season but has also overcome his main problem...lack of confidence.

"Now I'm playing with a smile on my face and I'm enjoying it,'' Lightbourne told The Royal Gazette after netting Stoke's second goal in the second half of their 3-2 away win over Wrexham on Saturday. The result lifted Stoke to sixth in the standings and in the thick of the promotion race.

Lightbourne began this season unable to break into the starting team as his problems from last season -- which resulted in him being transfer-listed by previous manager Brian Little -- continued. And when he was given a chance to start against Cambridge earlier this month his day was marred by an own goal.

However, there was a silver lining around that dark cloud as not only did Stoke win 3-1 away from home but Lightbourne was voted man of the match for his performance.

Further goals have now followed and Lightbourne's step has a noticeably extra spring in it as his four strikes have helped the team climb up the table.

Last year the Bermudian managed just eight goals. Now he's second in the club scoring behind Peter Thorne who has five.

Thorne netted to make it 1-1 in the first half on Saturday before Lightbourne put Stoke ahead in the second half when his deflected shot beat 'keeper Kevin Dearden.

Nick Mohan completed the scoring for Stoke with a powerful header before Wrexham pulled one back seven minutes from the end.

"I'm very pleased, things have turned around for me over the last month,'' said Lightbourne, who turns 31 on Wednesday.

"But I'm just taking it one game at a time. That day that I scored the own goal I played quite well. From there it has just taken off for me and every game that I've played since I've been getting man of the match or top marks.'' "Right now the fans are very supportive of me, I'm the flavour of the month,'' added Lightbourne, who remains on the transfer list.

"They are on my side at the moment. Funny enough, last year I was playing just as well but not scoring the goals. Goals change everything.'' Lightbourne only got his break when manager Gary Megson decided to switch to three players up front. "Right now every time I go on the pitch I feel I'm going to score,'' said Lightbourne.

"It's good to have that type of feeling and I hope it can continue. I've been through a rough time and hopefully I'll come out of it a stronger person. I had been saying all along that I still felt I had the potential to do well and score the goals, you just need a bit of luck sometimes. Right now the breaks seem to be going my way.'' Lightbourne's return to form corresponds with a good period for the team as they make another attempt to climb out of the Second Division. Last year they were leading the division up to Christmas but faded badly after the new year and even missed reaching the play-offs.

"Everyone is playing well and we're pumped up for every game,'' the striker stated.

"The team spirit is very good at the moment. We're in a position to come through the pack whereas last year we were leading the league and the pressure was starting to tell on us a bit.

"When you're top of the league everybody wants to play you but when you are on a good run and climbing the table nobody wants to play you. We're in a good position but nobody is getting carried away, especially after what happened last season.'' Shawn Goater's seventh goal of the season on Saturday couldn't prevent Manchester City from suffering a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich, their first league loss since the opening day of the season.

Goater equalised four minutes into the second half from a smart City build-up which saw him convert Paul Dickov's cross from the left. But Ipswich grabbed the points with a 66th minute winner which lifted them into second place and ahead of City, who slipped to third.

City remained in East Anglia as they are now further down the coast in Norwich for a league fixture tonight.

Kyle Lightbourne: four goals in his last three games.