Town made it 11 wins out 13 since their return to the Championship after a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Plymouth Argyle at Portman Road. Morgan Whittaker gave the visitors the lead in the seventh minute but otherwise the Blues dominated the first half and levelled in injury time through a Bali Mumba own goal. George Hirst made it 2-1 nine minutes after the restart, then sub Marcus Harness made it 3-1 on 86 with keeper Vaclav Hladky having made a number of vital saves, but the Czech was beaten by Joe Edwards in injury time but Town saw out the final minutes to stretch their undefeated run to nine matches.

Town boss Kieran McKenna made two changes with George Edmundson and Omari Hutchinson coming into the side, while Axel Tuanzebe, who signed in September having left Manchester United earlier in the summer, was on the bench for the first time.

Edmundson was at centre-half alongside Luke Woolfenden with Cameron Burgess dropping out.

Previously, McKenna made a similar tactical switch for the 3-0 victory over Hull City but the presence of Tuanzebe, another central defender on the bench, might suggest the Australian international has picked up a knock.

On-loan Chelsea man Hutchinson lined up wide on the right with Kayden Jackson among the subs.

Freddie Ladapo, who missed the trip to Bristol City with an achilles injury, was back in the 20-man squad.

Plymouth made three changes from their 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in midweek with Ryan Hardie, Mickel Miller and Luke Cundle replacing Jordan Houghton, Joe Edwards and Mustapha Bundu, who all dropped to the bench.

Following the toss, the teams changed ends with Town skipper Sam Morsy appearing to have opted to switch with the sun evidently in the eyes of fans in the North Stand.

Town should have gone ahead via the game’s first penalty area action in the fourth minute. Conor Chaplin hooked the ball into the path of Hirst, putting the striker in on goal on the left of the box, however, the former Leicester man’s flick past the advancing Michael Cooper lacked power and the keeper was able to get back and save on the line.

It had been a positive start from the Blues but in the seventh minute they found themselves behind, Plymouth scoring with their first attack of the match.

Whittaker, a player Town were keen to sign during his loan spell with the Pilgrims last season, cut in from the right beyond Edmundson with no one covering inside the centre-half and curled a shot beyond Hladky and into the corner of the net to send the away following into raptures.

The Blues continued to dominate, Hutchinson winning a corner, but on 12 the visitors threatened again on the break, Hardie finding Whittaker but his early shot was too close to Hladky, who saved comfortably.

On 15, another Town corner on the right, the ball fell loose to Chaplin from Adam Randell’s clearing header but the forward’s shot was blocked.

Plymouth were forced into a changed in the 19th minute after Hardie suffered what looked to be a hamstring problem. Mustapha Bundu took over in their attack.

Whittaker showed his threat again in the 21st minute, again cutting in from the right into space but this time his shot struck Edmundson.

Moments later, with the home crowd showing signs of frustration, Mumba, scorer of late equaliser in the corresponding fixture last season, smashed well over from a low ball from the right. Brandon Williams immediately remonstrated with his teammates for allowing the visitors two chances in such quick succession.

After Plymouth’s brief spell on top, the Blues began to regain control and started creating opportunities.

On 23, Nathan Broadhead flicked a near-post Davis corner towards goal but it was blocked in the crowded six-yard box. Soon after, Hirst was just unable to get the ball under control in the area and it bounced off his shins through to Cooper when in a dangerous position.

Within a minute, Hutchinson was sent away on the right by Morsy, tricked his way to the byline and sent over a cross which fell to Chaplin in space but the former Pompey man’s shot was deflected behind.

In the 28th minute Miller was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Massimo Luongo on the Blues left. Four minutes later, the Australian midfielder joined him in the book for a foul on Whittaker.

On 35, Broadhead flicked another Davis corner, this time from the left, towards goal from the near post but this time the ball looped onto the roof of the net.

As the half moved into its final five minutes, the Blues were dominating, prodding and probing but with Plymouth defending resolutely and looking dangerous on the break.

And in the 43rd minute, they came very close to extending their lead when Bundu was sent away in the Town half beyond the Blues’ backline. Edmundson slid in as the sub was about to break into the area and appeared to get the merest of touches on the ball as Bundu crashed to the ground. Fortunately for Town, that was how referee Gavin Ward saw it, but the Plymouth fans felt otherwise, although there were few protests on the field.

A minute later, Town had a golden opportunity to level when a ball over the top found Broadhead, who deftly took it down. The Wales international feinted a couple of times and worked himself space but eventually allowed too many Pilgrims defenders to get back and his shot was blocked by Lewis Gibson.

But Blues supporters didn’t have too much longer to wait for the goal which had been coming all half.

Davis sent over a corner from the left, Randell inexplicably stooped to nod back into his own side’s danger area, Luongo back-heeled towards goal and Mumba slid in to divert it past his own keeper to send Portman Road into relieved ecstasy.

Town threatened a couple of times more through Hutchinson down the right before referee Ward brought the half to an end.

Aside from Whittaker’s excellent goal, a short spell and a couple of counter-attacks, Town had been well in control for most of the half and but for some resolute defending the Blues would have been on terms well before the late own goal and it would have been hugely against the run of play had Argyle gone in in front at the break.

The game’s third goal would appear crucial with Town looking likely to go on to win comfortably if they score it but with the Pilgrims making it a difficult half if they were to restore their lead.

Plymouth were first to threaten following the restart when Finn Azaz was played in on the left of the Town area but Hladky was quickly off his line to block with his left foot.

The visitors were seeing more of the ball than they had in the first half while Town were having sloppy moments, Davis gifting possession to Bundu in the 53rd minute before Whittaker shot well over.

However, a minute later, the Blues took the lead. Davis played a brilliant ball from deep on the left for Hirst to chase, Pilgrims skipper Dan Scarr missed it, and the striker slammed past the advancing Cooper to his left and into the corner of the net for his third goal of the season.

Town went looking for a third goal which would seal the game. In the 59th minute, a cross from the left fell to Hutchinson, who worked himself space but his shot struck a defender and looped only just wide of the post. From the corner, Chaplin headed over when completely unmarked and will feel he should have done better. Plymouth swapped Miller for Ben Waine.

Three minutes later, Mumba was booked for tripping Williams on the right after the on-loan Manchester United man had intercepted a pass for Bundu and was breaking at pace down the flank.

Town swapped Luongo and Broadhead for Jack Taylor and Marcus Harness in the 65th minute, the two departing players receiving warm applause as they left the field.

Soon after, Woolfenden was booked for a foul on Bundu, then on 68 Williams was also cautioned for a foul on the same player in a dangerous area, out on the Plymouth left. Hladky confidently punched the free-kick away from danger.

Edmundson joined the long list of bookings in the 74th minute for a challenge on Waine with the defender clearly believing he had won the ball, and he looked to have a strong case.

The game was far from won with the game open and the Blues giving the ball away too easily in dangerous areas far too often.

In the 76th minute, keeper Hladky was forced to make an important save, sliding with his feet to take Luke Cundle’s pass away from Azaz after Davis had given the ball away on the Town left.

Azaz made way for Edwards, while Town switched Hirst and Hutchinson for Jackson and Dane Scarlett.

Hladky made an even better stop in the 78th minute, diving away to his left to tip Scarr’s top-corner-bound header past the post.

The Czech sealed most man of the match awards in the 81st minute with another brilliant save, spreading himself to stop from Edwards with the sub having been played in on goal inside the area.

Town, who had continued to give the ball away with alarming regularity, allowing Plymouth plenty of opportunities to create chances, swapped Chaplin for Harry Clarke in the 84th minute.

The Pilgrims were reduced to 10 men for the closing stages when Bundu went off with a hamstring injury with all their substitution opportunities having been used.

Clarke was on the left of the three behind central striker Jackson with Scarlett now on the left, having started in the middle, and Harness in the middle.

A minute after coming on, Clarke had a chance to seal it, Scarlett finding him in space on the right of the box, but the former Arsenal man took the ball into trouble and the chance was snuffed out.

But the Town support were soon cheering their side’s third goal of the afternoon. Davis cut the ball back from the left to Harness, whose first shot was blocked by Kaine Kesler-Hayden but the rebound fell to the sub, who smashed home his second goal of the season.

The game looked done and dusted but a minute into six minutes of injury time, Edwards pulled a goal back for the visitors. Former Norwich full-back Mumba beat Davis on the right of the box and cut back to the former Walsall man, who swept home off Woolfenden.

On 93, Jackson was sent away towards goal but surrounded by numerous Plymouth players and eventually his backheel failed to find Scarlett.

Having got themselves back in with a chance of a point, Argyle went looking for a third goal, Whittaker sending over a low cross from the left, which Hladky did brilliantly to divert away from Waine at full stretch.

Town began to show some signs of game management in the latter stages, Harness taking the ball into the corner after some of his teammates had continued playing as if it was the Blues chasing another goal.

And eventually referee Ward’s final whistle was greeted by a huge roar from the home support.

Having been the better side in the first half, the Blues deserved their equaliser just before the break but allowed Plymouth back into the game in the second half. However, Hirst’s goal and then Harness’s third looked to seal it before Town, perhaps tiring after their midweek trip to Bristol City, allowed the Pilgrims back in it again in the latter stages.

But for Hladky’s saves, Argyle might well have recorded only their third ever win at Portman Road but ultimately the Blues saw out the game to claim three points which keep them second in the table, nine points ahead of Leeds in third and five behind leaders Leicester, with a game in hand on both.

Town are next in action at home to Premier League Fulham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with a visit to Birmingham City, who lost 3-1 at Southampton today, up next Saturday.

Town: Hladky, Williams, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 65), Hutchinson (Jackson 77), Chaplin (Clarke 84), Broadhead (Harness 65), Hirst (Scarlett 77). Unused: Walton, Tuanzebe, Ball, Ladapo. 

Plymouth: Cooper, Mumba, Scarr (c), Hardie (Bundu 19), Whittaker, Miller (Waine 60), Gibson, Azaz (Edwards 77), Randell, Cundle, Kesler-Hayden. Unused: Hazard, Gillesphey, Houghton, Pleguezuelo, Butcher, Warrington. Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey). Att: 29,027.

Photo: Matchday Images

Orraman added 11:02 - Oct 29 Totally agree with Blues1 regarding comments about our supposedly poor defending. This defence is the meanest in the EFL away from home so that puts a lie to any complaint of weakness. At home however we are a different animal as our all out attacking play means defence is on occasions exposed. Current home form reminds me of the free scoring days of Joe Royle when Bent and Kuki terrorised defences. We are getting fantastic entertainment at PR this season and I will take 1-0 away wins all season as long as we are getting the thrills at home

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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 14:03 - Oct 29 Having watched it many times, my take on the Edmunson incident is that it wasn't a foul. There are far too many times in matches when non-fouls are penalised because of theatrical antics by the "offended" player, so I think it's good this one wasn't. It looks bad from a distance at first sight, but from the second angle, Edmunson gets a toe on the ball first, and then the Plymouth player, as is the norm these days, takes a dive, something several of his team mates also seemed prone to do yesterday. The icing on the cake would have been if he'd been booked for simulation.

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Blue56 added 15:05 - Oct 29 At the game, but seeing highlights Hladky was brilliant once again.
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bressinghamblue added 16:58 - Oct 29 Can anyone let me know why Hutchinson got MoM award, when Hladky was so clearly our best player? Omari will be a good player once he actually delivers - and yesterday he wasted far too many opportunities to pick out others better placed than him. No end product. Looking forward to getting Wes back!
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oldblue added 00:59 - Oct 30 Brandon Williams got MOM..
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SpiritOfJohn added 06:59 - Oct 30 @BressinghamBlue Brandon Williams had a great game and was chosen as MOTM according to the PA. No idea who actually makes that selection but I guess they do it around the 80-85 minute mark in order to announce it before the end, at which time Williams was a good candidate. However, Hladky went on to make 2 or 3 superb stops after that announcement, which made the early call look a bit silly. The TWTD MOTM has more voters and is more accurate IMO.

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UhlenbeekDownTheWing added 14:06 - Oct 30 Can’t believe some comments moaning about Woolfenden on here. He is far and away our best ball playing CB, and defended well yesterday - there’s a reason why pretty much all Plymouth’s chances came down our left channel. If Tuanzebe comes into the team in a few weeks, it’ll be to join Woolfenden. Neither goal was anything to do with him - the first one Edmundson positions himself such that Whittaker could cut inside and strike (he doesn’t go as far as showing him inside, but he certainly isn’t showing him the outside either). If you want to be overly harsh on someone other that Edmundson you could say Davis should have covered the inside more, instead of expecting Edmundson to show the line and so take a great position to cut out any cross if that had happened (but Davis had just run back 80 yards having underlapped Broadhead just as we conceded possession). The idea that Woolfenden should have headed that strike away is not realistic for me. The second goal Davis is knackered and gets skinned, then Taylor just lets his man drift off him to have an unchallenged shot from an easy pull back. I like Taylor, his lovely inside pass into space for Morsy was the best bit of our third goal. However, Luongo is so much more disciplined and positionally aware. Luongo and Morsy start every league game until Taylor shows he is as able out of possession as he is in.

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oldblue added 14:57 - Oct 30 Tuanzabe has only played 63 first team..premier league mostly .. games at age 25..and only 5 in last two years ..Woolfie for example is also 25 and has 195 albeit none on premier league...too early to suggest out defence rests on a player of so little total.and recent game time..believe me nobody would be happier than me to have him play out of his skin
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UhlenbeekDownTheWing added 15:35 - Oct 30 @oldblue - just for completeness. Tuanzebe has 28 PL games (almost half of which are off the bench), and 37 Champ games (almost all starts). Players with less experience than that have made a big impact for us before (Broadhead had what, 20 champ games for Wigan and 40 league 1 for Sunderland?), but agreed… On top of that, our defensive record is actually very good…we don’t need a saviour here…

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