Town’s goalless and winless run stretched to five games as their visit to Blackburn ended in a 0-0 draw, however, the Blues will feel they had enough chances to have won it. Adam Webster, Luke Chambers and Tom Lawrence all went close in the first half, while the on-loan Leicester man had the best opportunity after the break.

Webster and Freddie Sears came back into the Town side with Josh Emmanuel and Kevin Bru dropping to the bench, alongside Jonny Williams and Teddy Bishop.

Webster, who had been out with a hamstring injury, took up his usual right-sided central defensive role with skipper Chambers returning to right-back.

The Blues, wearing their Barcelona-style third kit for only the fourth time, lined-up in a 4-4-2 formation with Sears, without a goal in 37 games, joining ex-Rover Leon Best up front. Lawrence, a former Blackburn loanee, was on the left with Grant Ward on the right.

Williams was named among the subs for the first time since his return for a fourth loan spell having recovered from the ankle injury he suffered in pre-season with Crystal Palace.

Bishop was included in the 18 despite breaking his nose for the second time in a month in training on Thursday.

Ex-Blues loanee Liam Feeney was on the bench for the home side, while Martin Samuelsen, a player eyed by Town boss Mick McCarthy in the summer, was handed his first Championship start for the home side.

Blackburn started the stronger with a number of early crosses flying into the box from the flanks, Christophe Berra nodding the most dangerous away ahead of Marvin Emnes.

But it was Town who struck the first serious shot of the game in the 10th minute. Sears caught Ben Marshall - playing an unfamiliar right-back role with Rovers skipper Jason Lowe suspended - in possession on the left just outside the area and laid the ball off to Ward, but the former Spurs man’s strike was too close to Rovers keeper Jason Steele.

As an even game, more open than Town’s most recent few matches, moved towards the 20-minute mark Blues captain Chambers twice went close.

First Samuelsen misjudged Best’s cross from the left allowing Chambers a shot at goal, which deflected not too far wide off Guthrie.

Then, from the resultant corner, Chambers got ahead of his man but was only able to flick the ball across the face and wide when he will feel he ought to have hit the target.

Town threatened again from another Lawrence flag-kick, this time on the right, on 22. Best nodded back from deep and Webster powered a header from the edge of the six-yard box which Steele did superbly to keep out before Marshall turned the ball behind.

The Blues continued to look the more dangerous side and went close again on 28. Following a throw on the Town right, Webster brought the ball forward from halfway to the edge of the box and rode a tackle before laying it off to Lawrence, who scuffed wide when he should at least have tested Steele.

As the match moved past the half hour Town kept pressing for the goal which would end their drought. Ward saw a cross from the right after a fine ball from Cole Skuse cut out and then a shot blocked, before Best teed-up Lawrence, but his strike failed to trouble Steele.

Blackburn’s first significant chance of the game came in the 34th minute when right-back Derrick Williams, who regularly trained with the Town academy as a schoolboy, crossed from the left to Sam Gallagher, but the on-loan Southampton man was unable to control his far-post header and the ball flew well back into the stand housing the Town support.

On 41 Marshall exchanged passes with Samuelsen - who had swapped flanks to the right with skipper Craig Conway moving to the left - and Emnes but scuffed his shot - the home side’s first effort on target - through to Bartosz Bialkowski under pressure from Jonathan Douglas.

In the final scheduled minute of the half Douglas was dispossessed on halfway by Emnes and the ball was eventually laid off to Guthrie just outside the area and the former Newcastle midfielder hit a powerful striker just over Bialkowski’s bar.

However, despite the home side having had those two opportunities just before referee Geoff Eltringham blew his whistle, Town will feel they had had the better of a half which had been less of a midfield battle and therefore more entertaining - and with more penalty are action - than their recent games.

The Blues created more of the first-half opportunities and Chambers and Lawrence will feel they ought to have made more of their openings, while the excellent Webster was only prevented from scoring his first Town goal by an impressive Steele save.

Rovers switched centre-half Gordon Greer for Darragh Lenihan at half-time, the Irishman moving into an unfamiliar role at the heart of the defence. The Scotland international had been suffering with a groin injury earlier in the week.

Neither side threatened immediately after the restart but just before the hour Chambers brought the ball forward from deep and fed Best, who hit a shot on the turn from the right of the area which Steele palmed out for a corner, although it already looked to have been going wide.

On 62 Blackburn replaced Norwegian international Samuelsen with Elliott Bennett, another player the Blues were keen on in the summer, the on-loan West Ham man having shown his ability in patches but while largely on the periphery of the match. Two minutes later, Marshall shot wide from distance.

Ex-Rovers striker Best, booed by his old fans from the start, headed over in the 66th minute when Ward found him with a cross from the right after a short corner, much to the delight of the home support.

The Blues threatened again soon afterwards, Ward eventually sending over a dangerous cross from the right which was cleared ahead of Douglas.

Town should have gone in front in the 75th minute after Conway’s dreadful backpass had almost played Sears in on goal. The Blues striker initially couldn’t quite reach it but he brought the ball back in from the left and hit a shot which Steele batted away.

Knudsen reached the loose ball first and cut it back to Lawrence, who scuffed against Steele at the near post from the edge of the six-yard with the rest of the goal gaping. Moments later Bishop took over from Ward.

Town continued to take the game to the home side and had most of the ball. On 80, soon after Bishop had been crowded out as he skipped into the area, Knudsen smashed a low drive wide.

Marshall shot over from just inside the right of the box on 85 before Williams was introduced for the Blues in place of Lawrence, the on-loan Crystal Palace man making his fourth Town debut.

Two minutes later, Gallagher picked up the game’s first booking for a foul, then following the freekick Best blazed over after the ball had been cleared to him on the edge of the box.

Town finished the game the stronger and still pressing for that elusive goal but referee Eltringham’s whistle confirmed the goalless draw.

The Blues will feel they had the chances to win a match - Lawrence’s was the best in the second half - which was a livelier affair than the games immediately before the international break and a number of players will feel they might have done better with their opportunities.

At the other end, Bialkowski had one of his quietest afternoons and Town recorded their fourth clean sheet in their last six games.

The Blues, who are now 17th, are next in action against Burton Albion, a place above Town on the same points following their 0-0 draw at Wigan today, at Portman Road on Tuesday evening.

Blackburn: Steele, Marshall, D Williams, Greer (Lenihan 46), Hoban, Guthrie, Evans (Evans 72), Conway (c), Samuelsen (Bennett 62), Gallagher, Emnes. Unused: Raya, Feeney, Stokes, Mulgrew.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Webster, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Lawrence (Williams 85), Ward (Bishop 75), Sears, Best. Unused: Gerken, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Grant, Bru, J Williams. Referee: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham). Attendance: 10,820 (Town: 564).

Photo: Action Images

GGblocker added 19:40 - Oct 15 I am lucky I am holiday next will not have to watch Tuesdays game and Douglas avoiding the ball and having to do any work. His arms must ache more than his legs as he is always pointing and tell the other players what to do so he doesnt have to run ( meant waddle ) Go MM please
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grubbyoik added 19:44 - Oct 15 If... Ifs and buts were pots and pans we'd all be selling scrap..
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Lightningboy added 20:14 - Oct 15 McCarthy is killing this club now - maybe that's his goal?..he obviously sounds like he has nothing but contempt for our fans. Just go Mick and let someone with a bit of desire and fresh ideas take over. Holland,Burley,Magilton.
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StowTractorBoy added 20:47 - Oct 15 This was not a performance that deserves the extreme negatives on here. Look at the Blackburn squad and compare it to ours and you will find it is very very good if not better than ours. We should have won the game I concede but did not take our chances and were thwarted by a terrific save from Steele and decent chances missed by notably Lawrence. We restricted the Blackburn goal threat to almost zero and got forward more times in this game than of late. The back four were sound including Chambers who even tackled very high up the pitch on a number of occasions and he deserved his applause from our fans at the end of the match. My main gripe would be that Douglas should not have started in the centre of a midfield four as Bru or Bishop (who looked sharp when he came on) would have given us the extra creativity needed. We do lack a Murphy type striker as Best was poor today not helped by the constant barracking he received from the home support. This was not a bad performance at all in fact encouraging but it has to be maintained and MM needs to take a more positive approach starting with leaving Douglas out on Tuesday. Finally what a fine player we have in Webster who was my man of the match not just with his defensive qualities but his forward play also. A word for the Referee Eltringham - excellent.

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tr0705 added 20:48 - Oct 15 The club has lots its connection to our community. It lacks ambition. Our team and manager are mediocre at best. A change is needed now or relegation will be inevitable and a continuing slide in support for this once proud club.
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Swn98 added 20:51 - Oct 15 Good post stow unfortunately the manic posters on here can't see good in anything oh forgot because they know better.
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Geoff added 20:52 - Oct 15 The only way to change this is by staying away and hitting old skinflint where it hurts.By going it is giving him permission to carry on ripping us all off. The other way is mass protest on the terraces at the way this club is being run. We must somehow get him out or sell up.
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Ashinbarnsley added 21:10 - Oct 15 Alot of hostility once the team or mccarthys backed, my personal opinion is what it is, as soon as the team starts climbing the table all this mick out talk will go. 3 consecutive top 10 finishes isn't just a coincidence
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oldegold added 21:16 - Oct 15 It was pretty much a no brainer that mccarthy was going to drop Emmanuel and insist on Chambers at RB. It's not working and the results since the fall of 2015 are testimony that mccarthy's way is patently not working but hey, that's no problem for him as he will limp along with his system to the detriment of Ipswich Town's future and drag us all down. How dispiritng it must be to be a youth player at Town, knowing full well that your manager doesn't have a blind idea on tactics and no matter what you do, you will not get in, bottles it in cup matches, ruins players by insisting on his wrong way i.e sears and chambers, plays not to lose,doesn't have an attacking idea in his head and plays players intentionally out of position. God, what an almighty mess we are.Surely George Burley can take take over and lead us out of the wilderness and start playing real football. mccarthy really is a wretched manager and will drag us down..awful..simply awful and the sooner he leaves,.....

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martleshamitfc added 21:17 - Oct 15 So onto Tuesday - pre- match MM trying to convince us Burton are a good team , same team , same result , lowest crowd for many years fall asleep before HT , end match MM trys to convince us another good performance , Skuse and Douglas played well .... oh well 0.0 away to Newcastle will actually be good if we get it!!!
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superblue70 added 21:49 - Oct 15 Swn98 if your happy with things at town you must lead a very dull life, I expect more much much more for my £30, which the club will not be receiving while we bore the nation to tears week in week out, you are welcome to MM,you are secretly his mother go on you can admit it. Oh and Bert shut up you fool
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runningout added 22:30 - Oct 15 your joking whoever thinks Holland Burley or Magilton is the answer. What has always been concerning is when we do score we sit back, when the idea should be to punish team severely. It seems that the next goal we put in will be that much of a surprise, we'll blow any chance of 3 points.. We definitely have a good chance to take this league. The coaching staff need to remind plenty of the squad of the fact, and pull the fingers out of their a*ses sooner rather than later

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PSGBlue added 23:05 - Oct 15 Score in the Summer, we only score in the summer....
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Vizslaraner added 23:12 - Oct 15 0-0 against this lot is shocking but expected. Better players in the club and there are some real good ones but this idiot still prevents youngsters and quality players from playing. No idea whatsoever and nothing will change. I still find it hard to believe that people defend it and think what we are being dished up is entertainment. Our club is being dragged through the gutter by the silent owner and by the muppet in charge. Our clubs name is nothing compared to what it once was and all we want is to watch our team play with some flair win, lose or draw. Please just go Dino and let someone with an idea of how the game should be played takeover. Playing favourites and unimaginative has beens is ruining our good young players. What young josh must think i don't know. The lad has been first class unlike his different class donkeys! This has got to change, and his arrogance is beyond belief! COYB

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blueward added 23:23 - Oct 15 Bang
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midastouch added 23:34 - Oct 15 Apologies if this comment has been said before but who was the guy who rang 606 tonight saying "We Love Mick McCarthy", wtf!!?? Seriously! First he moaned how many miles he'd travelled watching Town without a goal, and then he said "but we love Mick McCarthy because you know what you get with him!" We all know what you get, boring turgid 1 dimensional football! MICK OUT!!!

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Town7579 added 00:12 - Oct 16 some seem to have mistaken this for a Mick McCarthy fan club website. either that or haven't a clue about football. the man is clearly playing his favourites/mates a head of our talented players and youth. saying Morris isn't ready when we haven't scored in 5. Josh being dropped for the joke chambers. dozzell not getting a look in, bishop by far our most talented midfielder, constantly overlooked. Sears our most talented goal scorer played out of position. We will lose all these players if McCarthy stays, and more. so you carry on supporting Mick McCarthy and we'll get on with supporting OUR football club.

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shakytown added 00:25 - Oct 16 On this form and with this negative style of play relegation is a real possibilty. Anything but a convincing win v Burton and mick has to go.
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Minneapolis_ITFC added 03:02 - Oct 16 Mick McCarthy today applied for a job as manager at a funeral parlor, then pulled out when told no-one would die if he took over.. Bottom line, the team MAY have played decidedly better today or showed some level of improvement, but by all reports it was still a performance below standard and all this against a team allegedly worse than ourselves and occupying position in the relegation zone. Have seen it read that both Evans and manager would have been content with a no score draw away from home regardless of performance or (lack of) quality evident and you got to believe they're on to something. No goals scored for a considerable time now and only going in one direction as the weeks pass on the new season, most of us are resolute in our opinion we want change at the top, but unfortunately only one individual is directly able to 'take out the garbage' and in the meantime, he sits idly by and won't take action when just about everyone else can see the issue/s holding us back. I know next to zero about the next opposition Burton, but realize if results do not pick up quick in that and other subsequent games, then someone, somewhere, with the authority to step up make amendments at the club, will require their presence to be felt and actions undertaken. The most sorry aspect of it all, is being only in October, and a true sense in feeling the season is already over, with nothing that can be feasibly accomplished.

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hello66 added 08:03 - Oct 16 Patience it will come..... he will go at some point.... when he does it will be the first piece of entertainment he has give us fans for awhile ! The best action I've taken in the last two years was to give up my season ticket and watch the results come in on my phone ......I go on boxing days because its about family tradition ......He (cant even bring myself to say his name ) .... is in really old man at the end of his career and he knows it, HE IS DEAD WOOD FLOATING collecting a good weekly salary........ you can see it in his face and eyes he thinks his always right....I truly pity his family

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Swn98 added 08:14 - Oct 16 Superblue 70 just to clear up a couple of points no I'm not his mother and I lead a full interesting and varied life.
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planetblue_2011 added 10:00 - Oct 16 Seems like we were the better team & had chances to score at last. Is it the quality again why we didn't score?!! surely with the players we have they can score one goal between them! Obviously not!! Let's hope we batter Burton with a 1.0 win.
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GiveusaWave added 10:05 - Oct 16 i think it's a little unfair to tarnish the whole team with the same brush. Back 4 have been solid, Webster has settled in well and Bialkowski has been nothing short of phenomenal. I am gutted we didn't win, but regardless it was an important point against potential relegation rivals. Another 6-pointer coming up against Burton. We need the 3 points urgently to relieve pressure. Our style of football sucks. I've been to 17 games and not seen a goal so know that first hand. But we need to ensure safety in this league more than anything else. Don't wish for bad results.

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dirtydingusmagee added 11:31 - Oct 16 what can i say that hasnt been said already, Didnt go, didnt listen , like the manager, owner and team ,i have no desire now, Was a nice afternoon though had a lovely walk in the countrtyside with my dog,will be doing that until Mc Carthy is gone at least .I really hope next home gate figures drop to the floor . STAY AT HOME ,TO SAVE TOWN .
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senduntd added 12:24 - Oct 16 Well said Ashinbarnsley.
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