Darren Bent's goal in the 51st minute gave the Blues a 1-0 victory over Leeds and took them to equal points with league leaders Wigan. After a rather disjointed first half, Town had much the better of the second half in front of the highest Portman Road crowd of the season.

The Blues lined-up as at Burnley last weekend, while former Town man Jermaine Wright started for Leeds. The midfielder's name received a mixed reaction when announced over the Tannoy, some applause and some boos.

Leeds had the ball in the net within a minute, however, the linesman's flag had gone up well before David Healy had beaten Kelvin Davis.

Town started slowly with Leeds packing the midfield with five men and making space hard to find.

Tommy Miller required lengthy treatment on 11 after an aerial challenge. Leeds striker Brian Deane used the stoppage to get a massage on the touchline.

There was a scare for the Blues on 17 when Jason De Vos allowed the ball to run under his foot to David Healy halfway inside the Town half. The Northern Irish striker took the ball forward before playing it out to John Oster on the right, the Welshman striking a shot which Kelvin Davis saved to his left.

The loanee from Sunderland hit another strike two minutes later, again from a Healy pass, this time the ball deflecting over the bar. From the corner Paul Butler got in a header which Davis claimed comfortably.

Town had to wait until the 34th minute to have a serious attempt on goal, Darren Bent heading Kevin Horlock's left-wing freekick straight at Neil Sullivan.

Just before the break, Clarke Carlisle received a yellow card for a foul on Tommy Miller, who was by now wearing a bandage on his right arm after his earlier problem. Horlock's 30-yard freekick was little trouble for Sullivan.

Leeds will probably have gone in the happier of the two sides. Neither team had created much or played particularly well, however, the visitors had succeeded in frustrating Town who had found it hard to find the space to play their usual passing game.

Three minutes after the break Tommy Miller was replaced with Dean Bowditch as the Blues changed things around to match the visitors' formation more closely. The England U19 international played wide on the left and Darren Bent on the right.

Soon after, Ian Westlake had a shot blocked as the switch appeared to give Town more of a creative edge.

On 51, the Blues went ahead. Kevin Horlock tried to find Dean Bowditch with a ball to the left of the penalty area which caused defenders Gary Kelly and Clarke Carlisle to collide with one another. Shefki Kuqi seized on the loose ball and lashed a shot goalwards which Neil Sullivan could only parry into the path of Darren Bent who netted from close range at the second attempt for his eighth goal of the season.

Bent was in the thick of the action again three minutes later, Simon Walton picking up a yellow card for a late tackle on the England U21 international.

Ian Westlake shot over the bar, before Jermaine Wright got his name in the book for a late tackle on Fabian Wilnis. The ex-Town midfielder, never universally popular in his time at Portman Road, was subsequently on the end of a fair amount of abuse due to his summer move, a switch some fans saw as purely mercenary.

Just after the hour, Shefki Kuqi headed Kevin Horlock's corner wide. Town were much the better side by this stage and a minute later Darren Bent was sent away on the right by Jim Magilton. Bent chose to shoot from the edge of the box, the ball flying over the bar, with Dean Bowditch on the other side of the area calling for a pass.

David Healy will feel he could have done better than putting his shot well over the bar in the 66th minute, the striker having been found inside the area by Danny Pugh.

Veteran defender Gary Kelly prevented his side conceding another goal when he put Darren Bent's excellent low cross from the right out for a corner ahead of Ian Westlake, after the striker had been found by the pass of the day from Kevin Horlock.

Town continued to go looking for a second goal and almost had a stroke of luck when Dean Bowditch's shot almost deflected beyond Sullivan and into the net. From the resultant corner, Shefki Kuqi headed wide when he probably ought to have scored.

On 74, the returning Jermaine Wright saw his afternoon come to a premature end when he was replaced with Julian Joachim as Leeds went looking for an equaliser. It had not been a happy afternoon for Wright who was booed as he left the field.

Leeds went close to a goal on 74 when Kelly's long throw from the right was flicked on by Butler but Kelvin Davis did well to get to the ball ahead of Oster and Deane inside the six-yard box.

A Jim Magilton shot was deflected wide before there was more danger in the Town area. Davis failed to clear with a punch after Diallo had sent a freekick from the right into the air and was caught out of his goal as the ball was sent back in. However, Dean Bowditch was on hand to clear the threat.

Davis saved a Walton freekick with much greater ease in the 78th minute, but a second Town goal still seemed more likely than an equaliser and another Bent cross forced Kelly into conceding another corner.

With four minutes remaining, Brian Deane, who had largely been kept in check by the excellent Richard Naylor, had his first decent chance of the game, turning and shooting when Pugh's cross fell to him eight yards out. Fortunately for Town, Kelvin Davis reacted quickly and saved to his left, Jim Magilton clearing the loose ball.

Late on, Kevin Horlock picked up a yellow card for a foul on Joachim in front of the dug-outs but the Blues saw out the latter stages without further incident.

Another three points, deserved on a second half performance which improved greatly on an under par first period. The moving of Bowditch and Bent to wide positions in the second period proved pivotal and allowed Town to keep possession more than they had in the first 45 minutes.

Wigan's defeat to QPR sees the Blues to equal points with the Latics, with the Lancastrians ahead on goal difference.

Darren Bent gave another Championship defence a difficult afternoon, while at the back Richard Naylor had an outstanding game against the club he supported as a boy. Keeper Kelvin Davis had a generally quiet afternoon but was alert when required to make important saves twice late on in the game.

Town: Davis, Diallo, Wilnis, De Vos, Naylor, Magilton, Horlock, Miller (Bowditch 48), Westlake, Bent, Kuqi. Unused subs: Price, Richards, Collins, Couñago. Att: 29,955.

Photo: Action Images

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