Kenneth Zohore’s 65th minute goal was enough to give Cardiff City a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Portman Road. The Dane netted at the second attempt after initially missing his volley and the ball striking his hand, the visitors having improved after the break after Town had been on top in the first half.

The Blues made five changes to the team which drew 1-1 at Carrow Road on Sunday with Joe Garner and David McGoldrick missing out through injury, and Martyn Waghorn dropping to the bench.

Manager Mick McCarthy stuck with the three-man backline of Cameron Carter-Vickers, skipper Luke Chambers and Adam Webster, while Jordan Spence returned at right wing-back for Dominic Iorfa, who dropped to the bench, and Jonas Knudsen continued on the left.

Cole Skuse was joined by Luke Hyam, making his first league start since May 2016, in midfield with Callum Connolly and Stephen Gleeson among the subs. Mustapha Carayol was a late withdrawal due to illness. Grant Ward, Bersant Celina and Freddie Sears formed a front three.

Cardiff made three changes to the team which beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at the weekend with Armand Traore and Callum Paterson missing out through injury, and Joe Bennett due to illness. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Matthew Connolly and Loic Damour came into the team. Ex-Blues keeper Brian Murphy was among their subs.

The Bluebirds might have gone ahead after a minute at a very quiet and noticeably empty Portman Road with the crowd of 13,205 the lowest for a home league game since 11,596 watched a 3-0 victory over Bradford in September 1998.

After Town had made heavy weather of clearing a corner, the ball fell to Connolly, who scuffed wide when he will feel he ought to have done better.

Marko Grujic shot over the top for the Bluebirds on 12 but chances were virtually non-existent in an opening 20 minutes in which the sides battled to gain the upper hand.

Town began to get on top as the game approached the 25-minute mark, Adam Webster nodding a right-wing Celina cross wide from beyond the far post.

The Blues went nearer to an opening goal on 27 when Sears cleverly fed Ward, who struck a low 20-yard shot which Cardiff keeper Neil Etheridge bundled past his left post.

Following the corner, Spence brought the ball back towards the area from deep before hitting an effort which was blocked and then unconvincingly cleared.

Hyam saw a shot deflect up into Philippines international Etheridge’s hands off Sol Bamba on 36.

A minute later the Blues went close again. Spence sent Sears away on the right and the former West Ham striker, who is without a goal in 30 matches, cut in and hit a shot which looked goal-bound until it deflected wide.

Town continued to look the more likely scorers playing the better football and in the 38th minute Spence flicked a header towards goal but without getting much power on it and Grujic cleared from in front of the line.

Cardiff were forced into a change in the 40th minute, skipper Sean Morrison making way for Greg Halford.

Three minutes later, Skuse played a deft ball into the path of Celina but the on-loan Manchester City’s man’s touch past the advancing Etheridge took the ball out of play.

Town were applauded off at the end of a half in which they had been the better side and had come closest to scoring through Sears, who was unfortunate to see his strike deflect wide.

The Blues had begun to get the upper hand midway through the half and were in control and passing the ball around with increasing confidence at the whistle.

Under-par Cardiff’s only significant chance came in the opening moments through Connolly with Bartosz Bialkowski in the Blues goal untested.

The Bluebirds swapped Grujic for Gary Madine ahead of the second half but it was Town who went closest to a goal in the early moments after the break.

Ward won a corner on the right, Celina whipped it over and Webster headed over at the near post when he will feel he might have done better.

The Blues continued to look the more dangerous side, Ward doing well to find himself space on the right before sending in a low ball which deflected behind off a Town player.

However, Cardiff gradually began to get on top with sub Madine making an impact. On 63 Damour screwed a shot wide from distance.

Two minutes later, the Bluebirds took the lead. Joe Ralls’s freekick was won in the air by Madine and knocked back to Zohore. The Dane missed his first strike but recovered - after the ball inadvertently struck his hand - to slot low to Biakowski’s right.

Zohore went close to a second in the 68th minute but sent his header from Junior Hoilett’s freekick over the bar. On 74 Connolly replaced Hyam for the Blues.

Town hadn’t threatened since the early stages of the second half, but in the 75th minute Celina broke forward before finding Ward on the right. The ex-Spurs man cut in but shot across the face of goal.

Two minutes later, Celina took the ball past two Cardiff defenders not far outside the Bluebirds’ box but shot straight at Etheridge.

Town were beginning to get back on top and in the 78th minute Skuse saw what looked a goal-bound shot blocked.

Moments later Cardiff defender Connolly turned Ward’s dangerous right-wing cross over, prior to Waghorn taking over from Spence, Carter-Vickers moving to right-back. Damour’s 84th minute shot deflected wide, before Kevin Bru replaced Ward for the Blues.

As the game moved into its final scheduled five minutes, Waghorn hit a shot against a defender, then Craig Bryson replaced goalscorer Zahore for the visitors.

In injury time, referee Andy Davies frustrated the Blues’ players by awarding a freekick against Carter-Vickers as he tussled with Halford as a corner came across from the left. Bryson was booked for time-wasting.

The Blues continued to push for an equaliser in the remaining minutes but never convincingly and the referee’s whistle confirmed a first defeat in four, leading to muted boos from some sections of the Town support.

Having been the better side in the first half, the Blues started the second in the same manner but the visitors eventually got on top without ever dominating and eventually profited from the one break in either box, with neither keeper overly tested throughout. Once again Town ended up defeated in a game which had had little in it.

The Blues, who are without a goal in their last three home games and have scored two in their last seven at Portman Road, drop to 14th, below Norwich, who claimed another last-gasp draw against Wolves, now nine points off the top six.

Town are next in action at ninth-placed Preston, who have now lost just once in the league in 18 matches, on Saturday.

Town: Bialkowski, Spence (Waghorn 79), Chambers (c), Webster, Carter-Vickers, Knudsen, Ward (Bru 85), Skuse, Hyam (Connolly 74), Celina, Sears. Unused: M Crowe, Kenlock, Gleeson, Iorfa.

""Cardiff: Etheridge, Morrison (c) (Halford 40), Manga, Ralls, Zohore (Bryson 86), Bamba, Connolly, Mendez-Laing, Damour, Grujic (Madine 46), Hoilett. Unused: Murphy, Feeney, Pilkington, Wildschut. Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire). Att: 13,205 (Cardiff: 371)

Photo: TWTD

SheptonMalletBlue added 13:09 - Feb 22 Brilliant description of McCarthy Lightningboy!!! :)
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cat added 13:14 - Feb 22 I'm with you Midas, last chance for the 'mute one'. New manager required, coupled with investment on top of that alleged 2m sponsorship fund becoming available for new players. Evans has had 5 years to recoup that wasted early investment, so time to dig deep and show us he's up for it.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 13:17 - Feb 22 For those of us who remember thrilling nights under the lights and a buzzing PR, yesterday was just very sad. It looked like Grimsby Town (no disrespect) on a wet night in winter. No lack of effort on the part of the team, but we are just lacking the necessary quality and a more forward thinking approach, and seem to be going nowhere. I don't think MM has done an awful job with the cards he's been given, but I can see no progress in starting from scratch each season with a new round of loanees and the odd cast off whom his club was glad to get rid of because he is probably carrying a long-term injury. The real problems start at the top. As Gcon put it, "There is a complete disconnection between the club and the community." We may well regret Mick's "safe pair of hands" if he goes; however, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'd even trade the drop for a feeling of "getting my club back." But where is the manager who can satisfy the owner and bring back the connection between club, fans, and community? It's a big ask - especially on a severely limited budget. I suspect it has to be someone with something to prove, rather than someone who's been there before (but with much better backing).

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1RWR added 13:32 - Feb 22 Steve_ITFC_Sweden: I'm the same as you, I've gone past the point of "be careful who you wish for" scenario. Lower gates to come, fewer season ticket holders & the same old dross on & off the pitch, what have we got to be worried about.......change the manager..........pleeeeease! The 'club' is crying out for it!
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Reecex28 added 14:08 - Feb 22 Let's get some balance and perspective - there is no debate about whether MM should go. He can't motivate the team or the crowd - absolutely no atmosphere and this must impact the players. However, we were the better team and the only one trying to play football. Particularly impressed with Webster and Ward and with the youngsters we have coming through or back from injury next session isn't without hope. HOWEVER - MM isn't the man to take us forward. Stay away fans can see this and surely ME hasn't made his money by not listening. In summary MM - thanks for initially keeping us up and stabilising us after the Keane/Jewel years but Jog On

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midastouch added 14:41 - Feb 22 @ Gcon, I agree there. The perfect time for Marcus to have given Mick funds would of been in the Jan window when we were flying high in our Play Off season. We blew several matches that season to go top (one of which was when I took my lad to see his first ever game when we leading 2 nil to Huddersfield and ended up drawing 2-2). Grant Holt was playing for the Terriers that day. The sun was shining and Portman Road was rocking with the drums beating. Seems a distant memory now sadly. We kept missing opportunities to go top that season up until Xmas. It was clear we just needed a bit of strengthening and we might of gone up automatically. But if Marcus wouldn't back Mick then it doesn't bode well for the future. Surely that was the time to open up the chequebook and take us to the next level but he was nowhere to be seen and the teams around us strengthened and they went up. Bournemouth are still there now. After Boxing Day we didn't look as good and we very nearly missed out on Play Offs. The only slight criticism I'd have of Mick back then is perhaps he should of been beating down Marcus' invisible door that Jan transfer window and urging him strongly to back him with some extra funds I think Mick has been a bit too accommodating in his minuscule budgets and should of given a "back me or sack" me ultimatum before now. I was with Mick until the season after but then doubts started to creep in once Ryan Fraser got injured the cupboard just seemed painfully bare. Then I started to think without Murphy firing in the goals we looked a bit of a 1 trick pony team and I started to wonder if he has much in the way of Plan Bs. But all that said, I would be the first to acknowledge he's had to operate on a shoestring budget and it can't of been easy but in recent seasons he's not done himself any favours with his attitude towards sections of the fans. I think the time has come for change but I'm not for one minute pretending a new manager is going to make everything rosy in the garden again as firstly Marcus could get the appointment badly wrong in the first place, or he may get somebody in who would have half a chance but then he may well take away that half a chance by giving them a illusionary transfer war chest filled with dry roasted peanuts!

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runningout added 15:30 - Feb 22 time the players stepped up. Or maybe it is too late
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Surco72 added 16:09 - Feb 22 McCarthy took Sunderland up with someone elses relegated squad and , his best period for us as manger was with Jewells squad . The longer he stays at a club and gets his type of player and best squad since he has been here ( his words ) the worse they become and has left most positions in arguments with supporters about the style of play and team selection including the Ireland job . Thank you for your unquestionable effort MM but time to part ways with The Blues

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bressinghamblue added 16:38 - Feb 22 @Gcon, it's not ALL down to MM, but I for one voted with my feet after getting sick leave of his boring tactics, disrespect for fans, and one dimensional (lack of) style. I suspect many other uses-to-be season ticket holders feel the same. All of the people left, right, in front and behind of me at PR for the last 3yrs have the same opinions. I"ll remain on strike, withdrawing my funding of this arrogant man, until the owner sees sense. Love Ipswich, loathe McCarthy.

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dirtydingusmagee added 16:58 - Feb 22 blues 1 , one of the people in the phone in stated that was being put about, Obviously I don't know anymore than you if its true , just stating what was said in the post match phone in on Radio Suffik .
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dirtydingusmagee added 17:07 - Feb 22 BraveDave ,with respect , why shouldn't McCarthy take the blame for everything ? he is THE MAN ,he calls all the shots, does whatever he likes, says whatever he likes, says he will decide when he leaves ,and seems to me probably gets paid whatever he likes, Evans is next to nothing and Milne is nothing at all .So yes McCarthy does deserve to get the sh#t .
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Gcon added 18:34 - Feb 22 Midas - I accept a change is inevitable, despite being a MM fan myself. I am very concerned that a change of manager is effectively letting the owner off the hook and buys him a new period of no investment. In terms of the long term future of the club, supporters accepting a new manager as the solution is just papering over the cracks. I think it is too easy for supporters to place all the emphasis on a change of manager. Personally I feel that a key reason supporters are leaving is that they no longer feel valued or invested in the club, and that comes from the owner and management. Until that is altered I don't think it really matters who the manager is, particularly if they remain unfunded, and we are destined for a continued demise. Anyway, makes a nice change to have a rational debate on here!

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midastouch added 19:47 - Feb 22 Gcon - while you know I'm not a fan of Mick I recognise that Marcus Evans has to shoulder his fair share of the blame. And there is a valid argument that he is just as much to blame as Mick or (as you are arguing) even more so. If Mick does depart in the summer we'll soon know how much ambition Marcus has left for the club by the sort of replacements that the club are linked with (none of should be surprised if he goes for a cheap option) and ultimately the transfer kitty (if any!) they are given to work with. Be interesting to see how it all plays out but I think the majority of us are realists and are therefore under no illusions it might end in tears next season whoever the manager is. There just seems to be general malaise swirling round Portman Road and it's hard to see an easy solution for us to progress. Every season the chance of us going down (rather than going up) seems to increase and that pains me deeply. Hopefully there is a miracle working manager out there that can work wonders with the youth and upset the odds but they're going to need to have one heck of a magic wand!

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