The Blues and Brighton and Hove Albion remain deadlocked at the break at half-time at Portman Road with Daryl Murphy having gone closest to opening the scoring.

Town boss Mick McCarthy named the same team and bench which beat Millwall 2-0 on Saturday.

Brighton had most of the ball in the opening few minutes but without testing Dean Gerken.

Town didn’t threaten until the 15th minute when a Paul Anderson freekick from the right was flicked behind by Bruno at the far post. From the resultant corner taken by Tabb, the ball ran loose but just wouldn’t fall for Tyrone Mings.

Within a minute the Blues left-back had created Town’s first opportunity in open play, sending in a cross to the far post from where Anderson nodded back across goal but wide.

As the game moved towards the 20-minute mark Mings sent over another cross from the left this time to the near post and Anderson sent a looping header past the other post.

A minute later Danny Holla hit a low 20-yard strike which Gerken gathered to his left with the game evenly balanced.

Town came close to going in front in the 27th minute when David McGoldrick was first to a loose ball on the edge of the Brighton box and played in Murphy, who lifted it over former Blues loan keeper David Stockdale but also the crossbar.

Brighton seriously threatened for the first time in the 32nd minute when Kazenga LuaLua fed Sam Baldock on the edge of the box and the former Bristol City man struck a low shot which Gerken did well to palm away from goal.

A minute later, Anderson and Jake Caskey-Forster, the stepson of former Town striker Nicky Forster, were both booked after the Blues winger reacted to a bad challenge from the Brighton midfielder.

On 38, McGoldrick curled a freekick just wide after Tabb had been fouled just outside the area.

Neither side created another opportunity before referee Christopher Sarginson brought an evenly balanced half to a close.

Town had created the better of the game’s few chances, most notably Murphy’s opportunity, but without having forced old boy Stockdale into a save,

Brighton, playing a hybrid of 4-3-3 along the lines of 4-1-2-2-1, had looked most dangerous when Craig Mackail-Smith was found deep or running into channels, or when LuaLua looked to bring the ball forward. Their best chance was Baldock’s shot which Gerken did well to save.

Town: Gerken, Parr, Mings, Chambers (c), Berra, Skuse, Bishop, Tabb, Anderson, McGoldrick, Murphy. Subs: Bialkowski, Smith, Bajner, Hyam, Bru, Henshall, Sammon.

Brighton: Stockdale, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Holla, Forster-Caskey, Ince, Baldock, Mackail-Smith, LuaLua. Subs: Ankergren, Calderon, Hughes, Crofts, Gardner, Teixeira, Colunga. Referee: Christopher Sarginson (Staffordshire).

Photo: Action Images

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