Ten-man Town fell to a 3-1 home defeat to Brentford as their now all but faded play-off hopes suffered a further setback. After Bees winger Alan Judge had been stretchered off early on with a broken leg, the visitors went ahead through Sam Saunders before the Blues were reduced to 10 men when Luke Hyam - whose challenge had led to Judge's injury - was shown his second yellow card for a clash with Ryan Woods just before-half-time. After the break Lasse Vibe sealed the win for the West Londoners with two quick-fire goals with Liam Feeney netting late consolation for the Blues.

Boss Mick McCarthy made four changes with Feeney, Tommy Smith, Jonathan Douglas and Brett Pitman dropping to the bench and with Hyam, Kevin Foley, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Luke Varney all starting.

The Blues started in a 4-4-2 system with Foley at right-back and skipper Chambers at the centre of the defence alongside Christophe Berra.

Ben Pringle and Maitland-Niles were out wide in midfield with Cole Skuse and Hyam in the centre and Varney and Freddie Sears up front.

David McGoldrick was again on the bench but there was no place in the 18 for Teddy Bishop, who made his return as a sub against Charlton on Tuesday.

The game started in steady rain and was quickly brought to a halt when Hyam made a strong challenge on Judge, who was close to joining Town in the summer of 2013, leaving the former Blackburn man clearly in a lot of pain and requiring very lengthy treatment on the pitch for a broken leg.

The Blues midfielder looked to have made a genuine challenge and to have won the ball, but his momentum had taken him through the winger.

Hyam was booked with the Brentford players calling for a red, while Judge - who looked to be in the running for a place in the Irish squad for the Euros - was eventually stretchered off to applause from all sections of the ground. Konstantin Kerschbaumer took over in the Bees’ midfield.

Following a freekick after Varney had been somewhat cynically caught by Woods as he broke forward midway inside the Brentford half - far from the only niggly challenge from the visitors - Sears was played in down the right by Foley but Harlee Dean turned the ball behind for a corner.

On the quarter hour, with the game still to settle after the long stoppage, Brentford broke through three on one after Town had surrendered possession on halfway. Vibe found Kerschbaumer but his shot deflected off Berra and into Bartosz Bialkowski’s arms.

The visitors began to get on top but were unable to create an opening until the 29th minute when they scored a controversial opener.

Cole Skuse turned away from Kerschbaumer midway inside the Town half and was tripped by the Austrian. However, referee Phil Gibbs waved away the Blues’ protests and Kerschbaumer brought the ball forward into the right of the area before cutting it back to Sam Saunders, who smashed the it past Bialkowski from 15 yards.

While the Bees may have had the benefit of a poor refereeing decision, they had got themselves on top and had been looking the more likely scorers.

The Blues continued to struggle to make an impact on the game and in the 39th minute the visitors weren’t too far away from a second on the counter-attack, but Sergei Canos, having run from his own half, scuffed his shot wide. Referee Gibbs inexplicably awarded a corner, adding to the frustration of the home support.

On 42 Town created their first significant chance, Sears threading in Maitland-Niles on the left of the area, but the on-loan Arsenal youngster’s shot was too close to Bees’ keeper Button, who saved.

Judge’s treatment led to nine minutes of injury time in which the afternoon got worse for the Blues.

Woods caught Hyam on halfway and the Blues midfielder reacted by shoving the former Shrewsbury man, who pushed him back. Referee Gibbs booked both players and, having yellow-carded Hyam for the challenge on Judge, had no alternative but the show the Town midfielder his red card.

The Brentford players, clearly angered by the challenge which had led to the red card, had continued to bait Hyam throughout the half and it was probably only a matter of time before the midfielder reacted.

Having been reduced to 10 men, Town had their best spell of the game with Knudsen making a couple of strong runs down the left.

Following a corner, the Dane saw a shot blocked, Maitland-Niles crossed back into the box and the ball fell to Pringle, who also saw an effort stopped.

Soon after the referee’s whistle ended a half to forget for the Blues. Brentford had settled better after the early stoppage and were on top when they scored, even if the goal owed much to poor refereeing.

Hyam’s red card was foreseeable and the Town management may well have been planning to take him off at half-time. As it was, the Blues switched Maitland-Niles and Pringle for Jonathan Douglas and David McGoldrick ahead of the second half.

McGoldrick looped an early overhead kick wide, then on 57, as Portman Road found its voice, Sears was sent away on the right but his excellent cross failed to find a team-mate. A minute later, Varney was booked for a mistimed tackle on Woods.

The Blues were getting on top, despite their numerical disadvantage and on the hour Sears sent over another ball from the right, but Maxime Colin cleared ahead of McGoldrick at the far post.

On 62 Varney cut inside past Youann Barbet into the right of the area but lost his footing as he did so, the striker indicating that he hadn’t been fouled.

Play immediately moved to the other end and Canos hit a shot which took a deflection and looped on to the bar, VIbe following up headed on to the roof of the net.

However, the visitors didn’t have to wait too long for a second goal. In the 64th minute Colin crossed from the right and Vibe, ahead of both centre-halves, stooped to head past Bialkowski with Foley appearing to playing him onside.

Four minutes later, it was 3-0. Vibe caught Berra in possession on the right following a Town throw and brought the ball into the area before beating Bialkowski.

Sears saw an effort blocked as the Blues went about trying to get back into a game which was by now realistically out of reach, then at the other end Bialkowski blocked Woods’s long distance effort, then got up to get in the way of Vibe’s follow-up. On 75 Feeney replaced Varney, while Andy Gogia took over from Canos for the Bees.

A minute later, Sears sent over a corner from the left and Chambers’s glancing header bounced across the face and McGoldrick was unable to get an a touch.

Kerschbaumer forced Bialkowski into a save down to his left on 78 having cut into the area.

Town continued to toil and in the 84th minute McGoldrick shot over following a Blues freekick, then a minute later Sears was played in on goal by Knudsen but somehow shot wide when he seemed certain to score.

Feeney shot wide on 87 with the Blues still looking for their first goal since the Blackburn game.

And a minute later it came. Skuse won the ball midway inside the Brentford half and found McGoldrick, who played it to Feeney to his left and the on-loan Bolton man struck a low shot under Button and into the net to claim his first goal for the Blues.

That proved to be the last significant action and boos once again greeted the final whistle at Portman Road, the Blues now having won just once in their last seven games.

After the long early stoppage for Judge’s injury, Brentford settled better and were on top when they scored their first goal which owed much to a poor refereeing decision, although was well taken.

Following Hyam’s red card, which was predictable given the attention paid to him by the Brentford players following the injury to Judge, the Blues were always up against it to get back into the game but made a bright start to the second half, however, the game was killed by Vibe’s two goals.

The win is Brentford’s first ever victory at Portman Road and it’s their first over the Blues anywhere since 1955.

Town, still eighth with five games left to play, would seem to have little hope of making the top six with the gap eight points plus goal difference, although both Sheffield Wednesday, who the Blues travel to face at Hillsborough next Saturday, and Cardiff lost today, while Derby and Birmingham, who are now only a point behind the Blues with a game in hand, both won.

Town: Bialkowski, Foley, Chambers (c), Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Hyam, Pringle (McGoldrick 46), Maitland-Niles (Douglas 46), Sears, Varney (Feeney 75). Subs: Gerken, Smith, Pitman.

Brentford: Button, Colin, Bidwell, Dean, Saunders (Hogan 82), McCormack, Woods, Judge (Kerschbaumer 8), Vibe, Barbet, Canos (Gogia 75). Subs: Bonham, O’Connell, Clarke, Ferry. Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands). Att:18,845 (Brentford: 559).

Photo: Action Images

Dozzells_Bobblehat added 20:16 - Apr 9 RegencyBlue - totally disagree. At half time yes but not after two minutes!! Hyam to blame not MM for him being sent off.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 20:16 - Apr 9 RegencyBlue - totally disagree. At half time yes but not after two minutes!! Hyam to blame not MM for him being sent off.
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RegencyBlue added 20:25 - Apr 9 Not necessarily after two minutes but it was obvious there was a problem. Hyam was pulling out of tackles, he was being niggled at by the Brentford players and it was obvious to everyone around me what was going to happen - the ref was just looking for an excuse to send him off. We were effectively down to ten men long before it became official!
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Walk_the_Wark added 20:25 - Apr 9 Keanish, you want to take back the abuse you gave me 2 years ago when I said this guy is a dinosaur with no tactical ability etc? So pleased the tide has turned on here. Not a moment too soon
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bluearmy4life added 20:32 - Apr 9 What a difference a year makes..... This time last year we were on the brink of making the play offs for the first time in 9 years, and now a year on our season is albeit over. I did like many town fans have high expectations for this season and its going to end being felt like we've been totally let down. I think in my personal opinion the club needs a complete sort out from the top to the bottom. Evans if your not going to invest, then sell the club to someone who is going to be more ambitious and ruthless. I think mick may not be able to take our once great club any further. We need to seriously sort out our back four, and our midfield for next season or we could be in even bigger trouble. If it wasn't for are first half of the season we would be a heck of a lot lower in the table. So depressing being a town fan at the moment! I want our ITFC back.

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Cloddyseedbed added 20:42 - Apr 9 Confused by poor Tommy Smith having to step down as calamity Berra should have been the one for me to make way. Berra along with many others has had a poor season, Smith has made fewer errors and been more consistent, and he's had to play out of position on the right. Berra, one of the undropables. Not a fan of the Skuse/Hyam partnership, to defensive and we were at home. The Hyam tackle was for me a straight red. Should have been substituted right away for fear of reprisals, bad call MM. Then we were down to 9 men effectively as AMN should be nowhere near the team. He looks as if he doesn't want to be there and has done for months. Foley for me at right back did not look too comfortable, nor did Chambers, that combined with calamity Berra and out of position and slow Knudsen, who quite often does not feel the need to stop crosses going in. Midfield, as usual we don't seem to have one, Brentfords 2 in the middle, 12 and 15 were running the show, what on earth would it have been like if poor Alan Judge had still been on? The sight of Douglas running on as sub did nothing to lift my spirits or the teams. McGoldrick has been fit enough to contribute more but has not been chosen to do much, he still looks class amongst the rest of the team. Whoever plays up front has a task on their hands as they have to go deep to get the ball themselves or win a missile fired at them head high. Where do we go from here? I really can't see a very good future for a lot of the players and the coaching system and management to be quite honest. MM has been here a long while now, it is his team, his tactics and it is not proving to be successful. The standard of football in the championship is improving year on year, but the quality of players MM gets in are poor in general to play the football required to progress. As I keep saying it's not all about the money, teams consistently play us off the park in our own backyard and many of the players are not household names and have been assembled on low budgets too, but they play a brand of football that is entertaining and gets them results. MM I fear has run out of ideas and running out of time, I agree with another post in that the football and disarrangement is following that of Jewell. Our team now has a poor record of entertainment throughout the English game and a todays tackling has not done us any favours either. Another season of that.........I don't think so!

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blueboy1981 added 20:45 - Apr 9 Bobblehat ........ it seems even you are now finding the excuses harder to trawl up. I wonder why ??
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Keaneish added 20:54 - Apr 9 Walk the wark - don't remember that in truth. Not sure of the context either but 2-years ago was about stabilisation so tactics and football prowess were relatively secondary to me back then with the aim being to build a squad and solidify Championship football. Ever since then I completely agree with you so apologies where apology is due - you were right. It's actually inexplicable and inexcusable that our football hasn't improved in all that time. Fingers crossed McCarthy has already accepted a position at Villa.

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finzha added 21:10 - Apr 9 Today was crap like the last month has been but there's no need for McCarthy to go 😂😂 We have great quality players which he has brought in and he needs to start those players or at least play them. Bru should start every game no doubt, along with Feeney. Skuse and Hyam were previously brilliant but now every1 has found them out and they just suck now, Douglas is the most inconsistent player on the planet and Pringle shouldn't be playing on the left. When Bishop is fully fit him and Bru have to start in the centre, with either Feeney or AMN starting every game . If you're going to put Foley in defence take out Chambo not Tommy. And BRING BACK JAY TABB!!!!!!! 😂😂😂

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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 21:12 - Apr 9 Blueboy - not sure what excuses you are referring to.
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Mick_Mills_Tache added 21:14 - Apr 9 Keanish - I'd go as far as saying that the football since that first stabilisation season has actually got worse. Bluearmy4life - very well written post and I agree completely.
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Mick_Mills_Tache added 21:15 - Apr 9 Sorry, not bluearmy but cloddyseedbed. Although I do agree with yours too bluearmy.
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BillBlue added 21:21 - Apr 9 Phillo & Cloddyseedbed - lovely posts, they make good reading. It is no wonder we havn't been scoring goals. I switched on the BBC online commentary about 80 minutes into the match and the first thing I saw was a Brentford attempt described as "very close but misses to the right" immediately followed by FOUR Ipswich attempts ALL described as "high and wide to the right"! Then of course we did get a goal and correct me if I am wrong but was not the first goal in four matches?

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ITFCsince67 added 21:25 - Apr 9 West Ham Season tickets next season from £289 for an Adult. Not bad value just down the road. Ipswich £400 + o dear.
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essexbluey added 21:33 - Apr 9 Its shocking how many people are not renewing season tickets round my area. I will miss all the mates i wont see at football anymore it's so sad what our club's turning into.
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wayway added 21:46 - Apr 9 I am sick of the constant posts 'Evans saved the club' ' McCarthy saved us from relegation' So that is the end of the expectations is it. Any new manager coming in after Jewell could have had the same results and what have we had since, boring hoofball from a boring man. And where are our absent, faceless owners, I here there have been at least 6 people masquerading as 'Marcus Evans' in there corporate box so don't think one man is going to make decisions. What happens yo ITFC is solely down to the finance director of Evans PLC and no one else. The club is and has been for some time a loss on the corporate balance sheet to off set against the tax of their other companies. They will just put in enough capital to keep the club afloat while pocketing and money raised in transfers. They are not interested or indeed have little knowledge of football, why else would they have given Boring Billy a contract extension. The sad fact is nothing will change unless someone comes along and makes the an offer they can't refuse. So be prepared for another season of McCarthy, free transfers, second rate lone players, hoofball oh and Douglas

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adeblueboy added 21:52 - Apr 9 Luke hyam they sing"he's one of our own" worse luck for us he is. Sorry to say unfortunately he is s--- he has always been sh--. No wonder he came back to us from Rotherham!!! Mick needs to go or we will still see chambers at right back, Berra, Douglas, and hyam. Hyam might go to Colchester!!.
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blueboy1981 added 22:00 - Apr 9 Hang your head in shame Hyam - just seen the tackle again, and again - DISGRACEFUL - and should have been an immediate RED CARD. Definitely not the ITFC way of playing the game. How any Manager can make any kind of excuse / condone that is beyond me. All true. decent Blues, will wish Alan Judge a full recovery. Disturbing to see a player in such distress, and traumatised. Not much, if any, remorse shown by Hyam either - unfortunately.

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Jimmy86 added 22:17 - Apr 9 Better to have a right foot / left foot combo at CB, but over the course of the season Smith has been better than Berra. Hyam is getting an absolute hammering from Brentford fans. The tackle was not meant with any malice, he clearly got the ball, but rather robustly. That tackle 3 or 4 years ago wouldn't have even got a booking. The injury, which is so sad for Judge, effected us more than it did them. Their midfield 2 Baldy and ginger then targeted Hyam, the ref could have perhaps seen this, especially as baldy was tetchy and dishing out some cheap shots. But for me it was poor from Mick that he didn't sub Hyam off. Why was he waiting till half time?? If baldy and ginger did high five when he got his red then that is more disgraceful than the injury. The ref was utter crap, seemed like a blatant foul on skuse in the build up, but highlights on sky seemed a tad soft, but 2nd half was always going to be difficult being down to 10.

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alfromcol added 22:24 - Apr 9 So MM's experiment didn't work, back to our trusted back 4 against Sheffield.
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Dissboyitfc added 22:32 - Apr 9 It was a very robust challenge from Hyam, but not the crime others are making it out to be. Actually thought Knudsen had a good game today! Certainly wont be going anymore whilst MM is in charge!
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BrettenhamBlue added 22:34 - Apr 9 Where are all the usual Mick In posters? Probably still asleep at the ground after that DISMAL performance. Honestly have no idea what to say. Hyam's tackle? He should have been sent off for it. Brentford better than us in ALL areas. Bialkowski and Foley only players who can hold their heads up after that performance. Pretty sure neither of them will be at the club next season as they'll be replaced by a couple of free transfers from Lavenham FC. Horrendous injury on Judge. Hope he makes a quick recovery.

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Fatcatevans added 22:34 - Apr 9 Jimmy86 you reckon an unconfirmed high five is worse than a broken leg? Get a life man. It was a shocking tackle. Who can blame Brentford players for winding Hyam up after? I'm sure if one of your mates had been on the end of that tackle you might just have been more than a tad peeved
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BrettenhamBlue added 22:43 - Apr 9 Dissboyitfc I should have mentioned Knudsen and apologies to the player for not. I said to oldegold in the chat room that he was our biggest threat in the first half.
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Jimmy86 added 22:48 - Apr 9 Fatcatevans, absolute tosh. The tackle, was a robust, hard tackle, which has sadly caused a nasty injury to Judge, which I hope he recovers from quickly and safely. Was no malice in the tackle, just a hard committed tackle. Football is a contact sport and injuries sadly occur. What I find bad is a player, who would deliberately attempt to get a fellow pro sent off. If Mick had have tool him off, it wouldn't have happened anyway

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