Jason Scotland and goal-a-game midfielder Keith Andrews scored the goals as the Blues came from behind to beat 10-man Leeds United 2-1 at Portman Road. The visitors dominated the first half and went in front via Ross McCormack, but after the break Leeds had Aidan White sent off for pulling down Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Scotland and then Andrews’s deflected last-minute strike saw Town to the points.

Blues boss Paul Jewell handed debuts to new signings Ibrahima Sonko and Daryl Murphy, while Jimmy Bullard wasn’t considered fit enough to start having been away from Hull training for four weeks before moving to Town. The talismanic midfielder was on the bench.

Perhaps surprisingly in the wake of such heavy defeats, Jewell stuck with his 4-4-2 formation, Murphy joining Michael Chopra up front with skipper Grant Leadbitter on the left and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the right of the midfield.

Town started nervily and Ross McCormack forced David Stockdale, a boyhood fan of the Whites, into a save in the ninth minute when he got behind Damien Delaney after the Irishman had misjudged a long ball from the back. Moments later, Robert Snodgrass shot wide from the edge of the box.

The visitors continued to look the more likely to open the scoring with McCormack, who nearly joined the Blues from Cardiff a year ago, heading wide. On 14, a Leeds break after a Town corner ended with Max Gradel shooting wide from just inside the box.

Only a superb Stockdale block stopped the Whites from going in front in the 18th minute. McCormack powerfully headed Snodgrass’s right-wing cross goalwards from inches away from the Blues’ keeper, whose excellent positioning kept the scores level. On 20 Patrick Kisnorbo headed a corner from the left over with the Blues still to find their feet.

Town’s first opportunity of the match came in the 23rd minute when Leadbitter, playing a very narrow left-sided role, found Murphy on the edge of the area, the on-loan Celtic man nodded down to Keith Andrews but the midfielder scuffed his shot.

On 25 a McCormack freekick deflected over off the Town wall, then moments later Gradel curled another set piece from the edge of the box just wide.

New signing Sonko headed a Kennedy freekick from halfway over the Leeds bar on 31 but the visitors were still on top with Town unable to keep hold of the ball. A minute later, Emmanuel-Thomas was yellow-carded for a frustrated foul on Gradel. From the freekick, McCormack headed wide again.

The goal which had been on the cards for some while finally came in the 34th minute. Snodgrass crossed from the right and an unmarked McCormack headed back across a wrong-footed Stockdale and into the net. In truth, a better striker than McCormack would already have scored a hat-trick.

Chopra scraped an effort across the face of goal a minute later, then on 38 Sonko headed a Cresswell freekick from deep on the left over. But the Blues were failing to make much headway up front with Chopra in particular a peripheral figure.

Kennedy switched to the wide left role as Town looked to get a foothold in the game. The veteran Irishman rolled back the years as the game approached half-time, sending in a cross which one of Murphy or Emmanuel-Thomas should have headed home, but the pair got in one another’s way and the ball ran harmlessly through to the largely unoccupied Andy Lonergan.

Town couldn’t complain about the scoreline at the break with the visitors much the better side, indeed Paul Jewell’s men were flattered that it was only 1-0. It was little surprise that Jimmy Bullard spent half-time warming up with new fitness-coach Andy Liddell, followed on to the field by the Blues’ other subs.

But there were no changes to the Town personnel as they began the second half. On 47 Delaney joined Emmanuel-Thomas in referee Andy D’Urso’s book for a foul on McCormack.

Two minutes later, Leeds were reduced to 10 men. Leadbitter cleared a Leeds corner from the edge of the Town box, Emmanuel-Thomas held off Aidan White and was through on goal when the Whites defender sent him tumbling on the edge of the box. The linesman immediately flagged and after consultation referee D’Urso red-carded the teenager. Leadbitter weakly put the freekick into the wall.

After Leeds had swapped scorer McCormack for defender Andy O’Brien, the Blues made a double change. Emmanuel-Thomas was sportingly helped off the field by Kisnorbo having injured what appeared to be his ankle in the red card incident with Josh Carson replacing him. The other switch saw Jimmy Bullard replace Leadbitter to the loudest cheer of the afternoon so far.

On 55 Andrews wasn’t far away from his third goal for the Blues with a by now trademark lash goalwards which Lonergan, a Jim Magilton target in his time as Town manager, stopped and O’Brien put out for a corner.

Bullard sent a 30-yard freekick over as the game reached the hour mark with the Blues not really dominating the 10 men in the manner they ought to have been.

Delaney blocked from Gradel in the 64th minute, before Leeds were again caught on the break from one of their own corners, Town style, Adam Clayton fouling Carson to the right of the box. After the freekick had been cleared and sent back in, Murphy shot wide.

Clayton was lucky to avoid a booking in that incident but on 67 was finally cautioned for a foul on Chopra midway inside the Whites’ half. Jason Scotland replaced Kennedy in the 72nd minute with Murphy moving to wide on the left.

And it was the Trinidadian who would get the Blues back on terms on 77. The former Swansea man picked the ball five yards outside the area, took it across a defender before hammering an unstoppable shot past Lonergan for his first goal of the season.

After the Town squad had stopped celebrating, Snodgrass hit a freekick straight at Stockdale before Bullard sent another of his set pieces over Lonergan’s goal.

On 81 Cresswell sent in a great cross form the left which Chopra and then Carson only narrowly failed to get a touch on. Two minutes later, O’Brien was cautioned for a blatant pull on Chopra. Andrews’s strike from the freekick was blocked.

Gradel felt he should have been awarded a penalty on 87 when he cut inside Edwards but referee D’Urso waved away his claim.

As the game entered its final minute, the Blues scored the winner. Scotland flicked a Cresswell pass down the left into the path of Andrews, whose shot deflected off Clayton, over Lonergan and into the net for the Irishman’s third goal in three games.

Leeds swapped Lloyd Sam and Ramon Nunez for Tom Lees and Robert Snodgrass as the match entered injury time, before Carson was yellow-carded for a somewhat cynical foul as Leeds broke.

After a Sonko block inside the area from a corner during a lengthy spell of injury time, Andy D’Urso finally blew his whistle.

Leeds will feel the defeat was harsh on them after a first half they completely dominated. But having had no luck last week at Peterborough, the Blues deserved the good fortune of Andrews’s winner deflecting into the net and may have been lucky not to have conceded a penalty when Gradel went down late on.

While it was by no means a great performance from the Blues, it was a spirited fightback, Scotland took his goal superbly and the win stops the rot after the recent dreadful run, which was probably the most important thing as we go into the two-week break for international fixtures.

Town: Stockdale, Cresswell, Delaney, Sonko, Kennedy (Scotland 72), Leadbitter (Bullard 54), Edwards, Andrews, Emmanuel-Thomas (Carson 54), Murphy, Chopra. Unused: Lee-Barrett, Ainsley.

Leeds: Lonergan, White, Kisnorbo, O’Dea, Lees (Sam 90), Howson, Clayton, Gradel, Snodgrass (Nunez 90), Keogh, McCormack (O’Brien 51). Unused: Rachubka, Thompson. Referee: Andy D’Urso (Billericay). Att: 19,758 (Leeds: 1,787).

Photo: Action Images

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