Former Blues striker Jordan Rhodes netted just after the hour to see Town to a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in a scrappy affair at Ewood Park. There was little between the teams in a poor game with the only goal somewhat fortunate, Aaron Cresswell clearing off the line from Grant Hanley and Rhodes stabbing it over the line off Blues keeper Stephen Henderson.

Henderson came in for the injured Scott Loach in goal, the ex-Watford man having suffered a sprained thumb in training on Thursday. Other than that Mick McCarthy, back in the dug-out after his absence through flu last week, stuck with the team which beat Middlesbrough 4-0.

Ex-Blues striker Jordan Rhodes and former loan right-back Bradley Orr were included from the start in an unchanged Blackburn side, while DJ Campbell was on the bench.

The game started scruffily with neither team able to create anything or keep the ball particularly well in the opening 10 minutes.

It wasn’t until the 12th minute when there was any significant penalty area action, Tommy Smith flicking a Morten Gamst Pedersen freekick from deep out for a Rovers corner.

On the quarter hour, the Norwegian hit a 25-yard freekick into the Town wall after Cresswell had been harshly adjudged to have fouled Colin Kazim-Richards.

Marcus Olsson headed over and on to the roof of the net from a tight angle on the right in the 18th minute from his brother Martin Olsson’s deep cross from the left.

Town, in last season’s all black away kit, failed to make any impact going forwards until the 20th minute when a neat interchange of passes involving David McGoldrick, Carlos Edwards and Guirane N’Daw ended with the on-loan Forest man mis-hitting his cross into the arms of Rovers keeper Jake Kean when well-placed. Soon after, N’Daw hit a strike from distance but without testing Kean.

Rovers top scorer Rhodes spent several minutes off the field receiving treatment for a nosebleed and the resultant change of kit and the Blues began began to get the upper hand while the home side were down to 10 men. After Rhodes had returned, Aaron Mclean headed Cresswell’s corner from the left across the face of goal and wide.

Former England midfielder Danny Murphy shot wide for Blackburn after a corner had been half-cleared on the half hour mark with the game still to really get going.

Daryl Murphy moved up front alongside McGoldrick for the Blues as a dreary half moved into its final 10 minutes, Mclean switching to the Irishman’s left-sided role. On 38 Luke Hyam screwed a strike wide from 20 yards when he might have done better with Town now on top.

Cresswell hit a cross well beyond his strikers on 43 after Murphy, who had made an impression having been moved forward, had played him into a dangerous area on the left.

Few at Ewood Park will remember much about a far from entertaining half, although Town manager Mick McCarthy will have gone in the happier of the two bosses with the Blues in charge in the closing minutes of the period and with the home side having been kept quiet throughout.

Chances had been rare at both ends with Mclean’s flick from Cresswell’s corner perhaps the nearest either side had got to a goal.

Mclean scraped an early shot wide for the Blues with the second period starting in much the same vein as the first had ended.

Former Blues loanee, and still this season’s top scorer, DJ Campbell came on to make his Rovers debut in the 58th minute, replacing Pedersen.

Before the on-loan QPR man could make a contribution, his new side were in front. Danny Murphy’s corner from the right fell to defender Grant Hanley, whose shot was cleared off the line by Cresswell but the ball fell to Rhodes touched it home off Blues keeper Henderson.

Blackburn had hardly deserved the lead on the balance of the game up to then, but the goal gave them a bit more belief. On 73 Rhodes flicked a header wide from Martin Olsson’s cross.

The Blues had made little headway since going behind and it came as little surprise when McCarthy changed things around, Michael Chopra and Anthony Wordsworth taking over from McGoldrick and Mclean.

There was a scare for Town on 78 when Cresswell gave the ball away and Danny Murphy wafted a cross to the far post but Campbell could only head into Henderson’s arms.

After Kazim-Richards had picked up the game’s first booking, Frank Nouble replaced Edwards, who played a full 90 minutes for Trinidad in the Caribbean on Wednesday, for the final 10 minutes with Town having rarely threatened to get back on terms. If anything Blackburn were looking more likely to add to their lead. On 84 Markus Olsson volleyed wide.

As the Blues began to press for an equaliser, Campbell sent Rhodes away behind Smith but Henderson got across to his right to make an impressive save. Rovers took a short corner, which was sent back into the box for Rhodes, who headed wide.

Town came within a whisker of getting back on terms in the final minute of normal time. Wordsworth headed the ball down and N’Daw hit a left-foot strike from the edge of the area just wide of Kean’s right post . Moments later, Rhodes again went close with a header from a cross from the left when he probably ought to have hit the target.

The Blues had a golden chance to claim a point deep into injury time when Orr slipped allowing Daryl Murphy to cross from the left but Richard Stearman’s header back across goal flew well wide of the post.

There was a hold-up late on when Nouble clashed with keeper Kean as they challenged for an aerial ball and soon after referee Kevin Wright blew his whistle to confirm the Blues’ second away league defeat in a row.

In the end, the home side ought to have won more comfortably, Rhodes having missed a number of chances late on, but prior to their goal there had been little in a dull game with the Blues just shading it.

However, Town threatened all too rarely, not managing a shot on target all afternoon, although Mclean in the first half and Stearman late on will both feel they should have done better with their opportunities. N’Daw was unfortunate with his strike towards the end.

The result sees Town drop to 20th with Bolton, Bristol City, Barnsley and Peterborough all winning and are now only one point from the relegation zone.

Blackburn: Kean, Orr, Dann, Hanley, Martin Olsson, Pedersen (Campbell 58), Lowe, Murphy, Markus Olsson, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes. Subs: Usai, Givet, Fabio Nunes, Nuno Gomes, Morris, Goodwillie.

Town: Henderson, Stearman, Chambers, Smith, Cresswell, Edwards (Nouble 80), N'Daw, Hyam, Murphy, Mclean (Wordsworth 73), McGoldrick (Chopra 73). Subs: Lee-Barrett, Hewitt, Kisnorbo, Drury. Referee: Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire). Att: 14,342.

Photo: Action Images

Ipswichbusiness added 18:19 - Feb 9 I wasn't at the game, but from the report it sounds like a bad game that either side could have lost and we were just unlucky. If we go down, it will be the results against the likes of Bristol City, Peterborough and Barnsley that kill us (along with our awful goal difference).
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bluefeast added 18:30 - Feb 9 All my comments are correct as they are no more than my opinion. Look at the facts ,midfield creativity not good ,midfield goal scoring not good. Come on where am i wrong
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Keaneish added 18:36 - Feb 9 I didn't say you we're wrong, I said get a grip! Fed up of Town fans who can barely raise enough energy to comment positively when we win but as soon as we lose they come out of the woodwork and point the finger every which way they know how. Our away form is suffering a bit of late so it's vitally important we pick up points at home now and that means having decent backing.

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thebeat added 18:58 - Feb 9 We should have given Campbell what he wanted. He was pivotal in our climb up the table and we've not had a cutting edge since he left. I know he's 31 but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture.Staying up is more important than worrying about an extra year on his contract. McClean isnt half the player im afraid.The next two home games are massive.We have to take 6 points or we will be in real trouble

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dagenhamtown added 19:03 - Feb 9 i agree we need more quality in midfield with regards to opening teams up and again am all for giving someone a good chance but lets not carried away just yet this lad wadsworth did only cost 100 k and with all due respect i dont think he will be a new hoddle i so hope i am wrong as i am worried again this evening.
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runaround added 20:16 - Feb 9 A narrow away defeat to a good side is noy necessarily a poor result, however the results of teams around us has turned it into a terrible result. MM & TC have made us a lot harder to beat but our inability to score enough goals is still haunting us. I believe its the lack of creativity in midfield which is behind this & needs to be addressed. It looks like this relegation battle will go to the wire and it wouldn't surprise me if a side goes down with a record number of points this season. Its any 3 from at least 9 to go down & I really do fear for us due to our lack of goals, relegation would be a MASSIVE blow to this club.

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VanIsleBlue added 20:23 - Feb 9 I am so angry about releasing Scotland. Especially to a team who we are fighting relegation against. We deserve everything that we get. Add to that our team has been of loanees all season.
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Thijssenstricks added 20:24 - Feb 9 I think we will be in or around the relegation zone until the end of the season. The table is so tight that one minute you can half way then next your either looking at relegation or play offs !! The one thing I am a bit annoyed about is that 80 minutes last week we just stopped and didn't go for more goals. If it does go down to last game and goal difference then we may regret not going on to score more.

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IvorFeeling added 20:27 - Feb 9 not a good day, especially as those around us either won or drew. However....i know that 1. it was never going to be a straight dash towards the playoffs as some suggested early in Micks reign and 2. We have the right 2 in charge (MM& TC) to get us out of this mess. We wont win ever week but 15-17 points wil be enough - i think! Now is definatley the time to get behind the team and stick together. Home support will be key over the last 8 home games. Trust and believe. Don't get carried away when we win and don't commit suicide when we lose.

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dirtydingusmagee added 21:48 - Feb 9 looking increasingly ominous now,Mick had a hell of a job on his hands when he came in, i still think he is a good manager,i just wish he had joined the club earlier,before the situation was so deperate .As for Jason Scotland, he was never given the credit he deserved by many,now the knockers arent looking so clever !.The bottom three clubs were always going to have a decent run at sometime,we needed to have been making most of our ''break'' but sadly inconsistancy is still the big problem .

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BuckieBlue added 22:20 - Feb 9 With MM/TC here confident we'll be ok. We just need a few more wins (last week showed we can do it) and see someone dragged into bottom three & BC and Barnsley end their good runs (surely Barnsley can't keep winning?!) and we'll be ok, even better placed than last year.
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LankHenners added 23:29 - Feb 9 So fickle... When we win, it's "We're safe!" and when we lose it's "We're going down!" Yes, we may have not been great and other results went against us but there is still time for us to get away from the drop. Blackburn have got some real quality and I would have been happy with a point today to be honest. Some difficult fixtures ahead but then we always seem to do well against the in-form teams... We know that we are wildly inconsistent so let's get behind the Town at home and make sure that we bag the points needed to keep us where we belong! If we can stay up then Mick has the whole summer to sort out permanent deals so we won't have to rely so heavily on loans. Onwards and upwards!

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MickMillsTash added 23:58 - Feb 9 I thought Blackburn were in control of the most of the match. Rhodes probably could have scored one more and had chances to get 4 in total. Town clogged the ball up the line at every opportunity and McGoldrick had a very hard time against Hanley who was excellent. Someone in midfield has to have a bit of imagination, McClaen was dissapointing. Thought the back 4 were very good and Cresswell is improving under McCarthy. I like N'Daw. Under Jewell we would have lost this 3-0. If we can get 6 points from the next 3 games I think we will be OK, hard to see on todays performance how we can win games because we created very little - a concern - but last week we scored 4. Who can really tell in the hurly burly below average world of Championship football?

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Burpforglory added 00:43 - Feb 10 Im not surprised about the result today, I thought it would be a tough game. im peeved about the game in whole. I cant understand how our leading goalscorer is allowed to play against us today, so so many loan players make it a challenge to follow a team and to gain interest. I would dearly love to see a cap on loan players a club can have in a year and also a return to a maximum amount of foreign players in the squad. Its not just Ipswich thats a joke in terms of player numbers per season but the whole of Engish football in general, perhaps if a team had no choice but to keep with the squad they start with in the season they might just give some players the chance they need or managers would have to find a way of playing with the squad they have rather than thinking they can just loan another player. Ipswich are in deep deep trouble and I hope everyone at the club can get together and sort this mess out. I love this club but hate the state its in.

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Jonox123 added 02:17 - Feb 10 Jeese louise! We loose 1-0 away from home and everything is doom! Im sick of this crap! we are going to loose games, but we are not a bad side! we will beat the drop im sure. scotland scoring for barnsley today, lets put that down to a bit of luck! hes mature and really not that great! Lets not hold on to this if we go down fear, if we do we do! well get up and start again! come on now!

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algarvefan added 02:47 - Feb 10 Sadly I predicted we would go down this season, I am still waiting to be proved wrong. Deep breath lads and pull together but it's going to be one hell of a struggle :-(
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Help added 07:48 - Feb 10 Unfortunately the problem is that last weeks 4:0 win is not a reflection of our overall season but a freak one off result. Today is reflection of the pre MM time, and sadly what might be a better reflection of the MM second half of the season. As I have said before the quality of players generally in our team are clearly worse then our competitors and that is why we are were we are. I have said it before we will go down this season ME you get what you pay for. Cheap and loans means relegation.

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bluefeast added 08:10 - Feb 10 HELP your correct ,the quality in our team is poor ,desperation signings that nobody else wanted in the main. How the hell is Carlos our captain ,he is asleep most of the time. Positives are our two central defenders , our left back , possibly our right back ,the rest of them are powder puff ,huff and puff non creative . We are in trouble as we dont create ,we will go down siply because our strikers have nothing to feed off. Our season is a joke ,a first team where half the players are on loan , madness ,and very poor planning ,this will see us relegated. Financial fair play can be got around as our owner is our sponsor ,so Mr Evans throw a pile of money via sponsership into the club in the summer and lets get promoted from divi one. Tragic tragic .

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jdtractor96 added 08:20 - Feb 10 BLUEFEAST, so don't tell me I'm wrong when I come out with my opinions. We haven't had creativity in the middle for a while, I don't know why you're banging on about it now. I'm sure if I was to read through the comments of last week you'd have something positive to say. MM will keep us up and then sign players in the summer. If you're resigning to the fact we're getting relegated then where the hell is your belief?!

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Knightsy added 10:38 - Feb 10 We've got 2 home games coming up and both of them are must win now I still rate Mclean and he can't become a Bad Player overnight, I rated him at P'boro and at Hull it seems it hasn't worked out for the Lad, I'm sure he will come good.
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AdScHi9678 added 12:24 - Feb 10 I can't believe we are suddenly only a point above the relegation zone. This is getting silly. Ridiculous league.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 16:06 - Feb 10 Bluefeast - good lord man calm down. We outclassed a play off side 4-0 last week and this week went away from home and lost a scrappy game 1-0 to a "pants" team in your words who just happen to be eighth in the league, so they cant be that "pants" can they. The results were awful for us this week, but the whole division is very tight this year and anyone can beat anyone. I agree with you that we need some more creativity but last week showed we can create chances. Keep calm and stop scoring Scotland.

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runningout added 16:51 - Feb 10 as was mentioned previously, all we are missing is a brain in midfield.. at times our midfield looks too naive
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Ipswichbusiness added 19:21 - Feb 10 I've been saying for a while that our position is serious and I hold to that view. However, we need not despair because of one bad Saturday. There will be others before the season is over. There are positives, the most obvious being the improvement in the defence under the new management. We just have to keep scrapping for points and hope that we win more than the clubs below us.

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R_LAMB3 added 01:12 - Feb 11 Iwas concerned that with the strike force Blackburn have that Henderson was going to have one of those let in a lot of goals days like he do sometimes and to my surprise he scores one for them instead. But to his good fortune Rhodes has claimed since.
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