Town’s slow start to the Championship season continued as Leicester left Portman Road with a point after a 0-0 draw. The visitors came closer to winning the three points, missing a number of good opportunities, while Connor Wickham’s stab wide in the second half was as near as the Blues came to a goal.

A minute’s applause for Sir Bobby Robson preceded the game with chants of ‘One Bobby Robson” also echoing around the ground.

Current Blues boss Roy Keane made two changes from the side which lost at Coventry on Sunday, Colin Healy taking over the midfield holding role from the injured David Norris and David Wright returning at right-back in place of Alex Bruce.

Town should have been behind inside the first couple of minutes when a quick Leicester freekick sent Lloyd Dyer away on the left of the area. His cross was met by Wayne Brown six yards out but the former Blue somehow headed over.

Two minutes later, Jon Stead seized on a poor back header from Brown but could only nod his interception into the arms of Foxes keeper Chris Weale.

On eight, Damien Delaney’s ball down the left sent Lee Martin away, but the former Manchester United man could only manage a weak shot.

Robbie Neilson shot over for the visitors in the 11th minute after ex-Leicester man Gareth McAuley had allowed Lloyd Dyer to get in behind him inside the area.

The Foxes were looking the much bigger threat with the Blues looking very disjointed and with the ball being given away far too easily and rarely sticking up front. On 18 a long throw reached Steve Howard inside the area, but the ex-Derby man sent the ball over the bar.

Again Town had had a lucky escape, while at the other end a 25-yard shot and an effort on the turn from the edge of the box, both by Jon Walters, were as near as the Blues had come to creating a serious chance.

On 39 McAuley was booked by referee Phil Crossley, although it appeared that Steve Howard had simply run straight into him on the edge of the area. Dyer curled the freekick wide. Howard was lucky soon after when he caught McAuley with a raised arm which was missed by the officials, but by few Town players and few in the crowd.

At the break, the Blues were probably glad to be on terms. Town had started the half poorly and could have been two behind before coming more into the game in the later stages, enjoying more possession without ever really looking particularly composed or dangerous.

Boss Roy Keane was clearly less than impressed and replaced Colin Healy and Jon Stead with Tamás Priskin and Connor Wickham, switching to 4-4-2 with Jaime Peters and Liam Trotter making up a central midfield pairing which would have been unthinkable last season.

Despite Matt Fryatt forcing the half’s first save from Richard Wright after the Blues failed to clear, Town started the second period more strongly, but still without seriously threatening.

Richie Wellens was yellow-carded for a cynical foul on a breaking Lee Martin in the 51st minute. Two minutes later, the Town midfielder sent in a freekick from the right which Jon Walters headed to the keeper.

Tamás Priskin shot wide form 25 yards, then at the other end Dany N’Guessan, watched regularly by the Blues when he was at Lincoln last season, shot wide for the Foxes.

Leicester spurned another golden opportunity soon after when a ball into the area was miscontrolled by David Wright and ran to Fryatt only yards out from goal. It seemed easier to score but the Foxes striker shot wide.

On the hour, Pim Balkestein shot wide after a corner, although when clearly being hauled back, an offence which was one of many not spotted or misinterpreted by the hapless Mr Crossley.

Town continued to push, albeit largely unconvincingly. Delaney delivered a decent ball in from the left which Walters headed to Weale.

Moments later, the Blues came as close as they would to breaking the deadlock when David Wright cut in from the right and whipped in a cross which Wickham deflected wide at the near post. Soon after, Owen Garvan replaced Lee Martin and Jaime Peters moved to wide left. Martin had spent much of the half wandering inside and had left Delaney exposed on a number of occasions.

Referee Phil Crossley continued to frustrate home fans with a succession of wrong decisions, amongst them the failure to spot a very evident deflection on a shot from Jaime Peters.

The Portman Road crowd was also becoming equally fed up with Leicester’s timewasting, the visitors having seemed content to do little more than try to see out the game throughout the entire second half.

On 80 Howard finally got his name in the book for a wild lunge on Jaime Peters, which left the Canadian needing treatment and hobbling badly for the rest of the game.

Leicester’s attempts to strangle the life out of the match continued. Martyn Waghorn was booked for kicking the ball into the net well after the referee’s whistle had gone and everyone else had stopped. Soon after, Weale finally joined him in the book for taking too long at another goalkick, referee Crossley latterly seeming to pick up on what was happening.

Crossley was, however, back at his most myopic with three minutes of the game remaining when Howard again caught McAuley with an elbow only yards away from him.

The four minutes of added time hardly seemed sufficient, but had it been 44 it’s unlikely Town would have scored. Delaney curled a freekick over the bar but aside from that, Leicester saw out the remaining minutes uneventfully.

A disappointing overall performance from Town, who looked disjointed throughout and very much like a side who have rarely played together. All too often passes went astray, players made runs only for the ball to go in the other direction or two Town players would go for the same ball.

Defensively, Leicester were handed more than enough chances to win the game and with more clinical strikers would have done so easily.

At the other end, none of Town’s frontmen were presented with too much in the way of service from the midfield with the Blues, as last season, lacking composure in and around the area.

Wickham, by some way Town’s most dangerous looking attacker so far this season, and Priskin added something in the way of an attacking threat, but overall Leicester keeper Chris Weale can hardly have enjoyed a quieter afternoon.

Early days of the season perhaps and Town were significantly better at Coventry last week, but there are signs that it might take a while for the new players and new manager’s ideas to bed in.

Town: R Wright, D Wright, Delaney, McAuley, Balkestein, Healy (Wickham 46), Peters, Trotter, Walters, Martin (Garvan 63) Stead (Priskin 46). Unused: Supple, Bruce, Smith, Colback. Att: 22,454.

Photo: Action Images

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