Town’s game against Leeds at Elland Road remains goalless at the break.

Boss Mick McCarthy made his promised changes with strike pair Daryl Murphy and Freddie Sears rested and amongst the subs.

Chris Wood and ex-Leeds man Luke Varney were handed their full Blues debuts with Paul Anderson and Jonny Parr starting on the right and left of midfield respectively, and Kevin Bru and Richard Chaplow also dropping to the bench.

Cameron Stewart - who was on loan with the Whites last season - and Paddy Kenny - a former Leeds keeper - Kundai Benyu and Alex Henshall also made the trip but were left out of the 18.

Ex-Whites striker Noel Hunt, who is on crutches and expected to be out for the season due to his medial knee ligament injury, also travelled.

The Blues started brightly and had the ball in the net in only the third minute, Varney heading Luke Chambers's right-wing cross home against his old club but with the linesman’s flag having been raised.

Leeds weren’t far away from going in front in the seventh minute when Lewis Cook sent in a cross from the right towards January Town target Billy Sharp, who hit a shot which looked on its way into the net until Tommy Smith blocked.

Sol Bamba headed over at the far post in the 14th minute after Alex Mowatt had dispossessed Varney on the edge of the Town box on the right following a Leeds freekick which had been half-cleared. Moments later, Tyrone Mings did well to cut out a through ball ahead of Sam Byram,

Neither side threatened again before the half hour mark with the game a typically scrappy Championship affair. The Blues won a number of corners and freekicks in dangerous areas but, as was the case at Norwich on Sunday, failed to make anything of them.

Leeds should have gone ahead in the 35th minute when Christophe Berra slipped when in possession in the left-back position, allowing Byram to cross towards Sharp, who headed wide while under pressure from Smith with the home players and fans calling for a penalty. Referee Mark Brown was unmoved, however.

A minute later, Giuseppe Bellusci smashed a freekick over from 30 yards before play moved back to the other end and Mings won another corner with a dangerous cross from the left. Again it came to nothing.

Three minutes before the break, Leeds keeper Marco Silvestri punched Anderson’s freekick to the edge of the area. Smith and then Wood both had efforts blocked.

The game remained goalless at half-time with little in an evenly balanced first half. The home side had had the better chances but via Town slips at the back rather than through their own guile.

Despite Wood and Varney having linked up well at times and Parr and Mings having looked threatening down the left, the Blues had been unable to test Silvestri in the Leeds goal.

Leeds: Silvestri, Wootton, Bamba, Bellusci, Cooper, Byram, Cook, Murphy, Mowatt, C Taylor, Sharp. Subs: S Taylor, Berardi, Sloth, Doukara, Antenucci, Cani, Morison.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Tabb, Anderson, Parr, Varney, Wood. Subs: Gerken, Clarke, Chaplow, Connolly, Bru, Sears, Murphy. Referee: Mark Brown (East Yorkshire).

Photo: Action Images

Ipswichlove added 20:43 - Mar 4 Time for Murphy and Sears
2

Superblue95 added 20:44 - Mar 4 Changes need to be made at half time
1

superblues9 added 20:47 - Mar 4 Doesn't sound good :-(
1

jas0999 added 20:47 - Mar 4 Disappointing half. We are supposed to be challenge for promotion, but yet again haven't really threatened. Midfield lacks the necessary creativity. Bru for Tabb at half time?
2

oldtimer added 20:47 - Mar 4 Come on you blues Do we ever need a goal as much as tonight. Don't care who scores
2

superblues9 added 20:58 - Mar 4 I notice 7 corners as I write this why are we so poor at corners we get so many and don't score enough from them been like that for years !
1

vodkaboy added 20:59 - Mar 4 Personally can't understand why Sears dropped - was our most threatening striker on Sunday. The bigger issue is the quality and creativity in final third. Lack of pace also an issue
1

Ipswichlove added 21:15 - Mar 4 1 down
1

SickParrot added 21:18 - Mar 4 Losing again and we have only had 1 shot on target.
1

SickParrot added 21:20 - Mar 4 2 shots on target and now 1-1 but why did sears not start!
0

blueboy1981 added 21:25 - Mar 4 In Mick we trust ....... HaHaHa..... fast becoming a serious joke.
1

blueboy1981 added 21:33 - Mar 4 ........... now let's go on and win it PLEASE.
1

blueboy1981 added 21:35 - Mar 4 ........ far too much to ask, of course - with an initial team selection that defies believe.
1

bazzer59 added 21:44 - Mar 4 but at lest Tabb and Smith kept their places!!
1

SickParrot added 21:52 - Mar 4 Now 13 points from a possible 33 in 2015. Well done ME and MM for not adding some pace and quality to the team in the January window! It is going to be mid-table mediocrity for us again.
5

portmanteau added 21:53 - Mar 4 if players have to have a "rest" why not give them a day off training? we cant afford the luxury of "resting" our best players on match days. as usual MM's language told us he had written this one off on the bus. at least our draw to wigan looks better now.
1

blueherts added 21:54 - Mar 4 Our defence has been so poor since Xmas - leaking goals too easily - Bart and Mings messed up and then Sharp gets in box unmarked - sloppy
1

alliedaz added 21:54 - Mar 4 utter bull crap and guess what we played ok but they scored more but happy with new boys oh shut up mick and sort it out
1

Bob7881 added 22:01 - Mar 4 SickParrot you summed it up.
1

SickParrot added 22:02 - Mar 4 We know what MM will say: There are no easy games...... Leeds are much better than their league position.... We had more possession.... They just scored 2 to our 1.... Tabby is different class... Blah bloody blah!
3

dannye added 22:02 - Mar 4 only positive is that it is still in our hands when you look at our fixtures in next 4 games. Plus if murph scores pen then we come away with creditable 2-2 so although gutted will try and keep cup half full..
-1

happybeingblue added 22:07 - Mar 4 Still not too late to sign a creative midfielder on loan mick sigh!
0

ChestnutSe added 22:08 - Mar 4 What a load of old rubbish some fans spout. All these foolish comments about MM playing his favourites. Tabb and Smith will be in the side because MM thinks they are the best option for that matchfromwhat he has got available. He is a professional football manager, not a Sunday morning manager. He does not have any favourites. Grow up for goodness sake.
-1

ChestnutSe added 22:08 - Mar 4 What a load of old rubbish some fans spout. All these foolish comments about MM playing his favourites. Tabb and Smith will be in the side because MM thinks they are the best option for that matchfromwhat he has got available. He is a professional football manager, not a Sunday morning manager. He does not have any favourites. Grow up for goodness sake.
-2

Bob7881 added 22:09 - Mar 4 dannye no disrespect murphy didnt score the pen so we didnt get a creditable draw. Keep the Faith though.
0

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