Town came from behind to defeat Real Valladolid 3-1 at Portman Road. Javier Baraja put the visitors in front from the spot, but Pim Balkestein, Connor Wickham and a Luis Prieto own goal took the Blues to their win in the second half.
The game was preceded by two minutes’ silence for Sir Bobby Robson, which was impeccably observed by all at Portman Road.
Town, again playing 4-3-3, started brightly and Lee Martin forced a save from Spanish keeper Justo Villar in the fourth minute, then Jon Stead headed straight into the stopper’s arms.
Moments later Stead nodded the ball down to Martin whose shot from a tight angle was looped away from under the bar.
Stead shot wide from 25 yards on nine as the Blues enjoyed much the better of the early chances.
Town ought to have gone in front when Stead headed Delaney’s cross wide in the 27th minute. On the half hour the home side went ahead after Pedro León had been felled inside the area by Pim Balkestein, although the Valladolid player appeared to make as much as he could out of the contact. Javier Baraja sent Richard Wright the wrong way.
The Blues came closest to pulling a goal back before the break on 39 when Damien Delaney stabbed Martin’s freekick wide but from an offside position,
Three minutes into the second half, Stead turned a low cross from Martin to the keeper, then León shot straight at Wright after the Blues had surrendered possession cheaply. Wright saved again soon after, this time from Marquitos.
The visitors were dominating possession with the Blues playing a counter-attacking game utilising Martin’s pace and tricks. On 56 Jaime Peters took over from Colin Healy with Owen Garvan moving into the holding midfield position.
Peters was quickly into the action and within a minute sent in a cross which Stead stabbed wide when he should have done much better.
Just before the hour mark, the Blues were awarded a penalty. Martin broke from halfway, took the ball past a defender, then went wide of the keeper Justo Villar, who sent him to ground.
Jon Stead took the ball from Martin and hit a well struck shot which Villar pushed on to the post. It was appearing impossible for Stead to score and soon after the striker headed a corner against the bar, but fortunately for the Blues the ball dropped for Pim Balkestein who slammed in from nine yards.
In the 63rd minute Richard Wright made a superb save from Nivaldo’s header from a corner. From the subsequent corner Wright claimed the ball and sent Martin away with a superb throw, but the midfielder struck a wild shot. Marquitos’s shot deflected on to the top of the bar on 66 prior to Reggie Lambe and Connor Wickham taking over from Lee Martin and Jon Stead. Soon after Alan Quinn and Jack Ainsley replaced Jon Walters and Alex Bruce.
The Blues went ahead on 77. Reggie Lambe won the ball on halfway, brought the ball forward and played through Connor Wickham. The 16-year-old striker went wide on the left inside the area before hitting a shot across the keeper and into the net off the post.
Town had looked a more dangerous prospect since bringing on the likes of Wickham and Peters in particular, while Lambe, playing his second game for the senior side, was also very much involved.
Tommy Smith replaced Damien Delaney with 11 minutes left, prior to Pedro León shooting at Wright.
The Blues extended their lead in the 83rd minute when Wickham’s cross deflected back out to him on the left. The striker lashed the ball back in and Luis Prieto unluckily deflected past his own keeper. In injury time, Bueno curled a freekick wide.
A result that probably flattered Town a touch with the visitors enjoying a lot of possession and creating a number of chances which a lesser keeper than Richard Wright might not have stopped, while the Blues defence generally did well against the La Liga side’s frontline.
But Town also had more than a few opportunities themselves with Jon Stead missing around five decent chances including the penalty, Martin having created most of them.
Wickham looked far sharper when introduced as a sub, while Jaime Peters also impressed after coming off the bench.
Town: R Wright, Bruce (Ainsley 73), McAuley, Balkestein, Delaney (Smith 79), Walters (Quinn 73), Norris, Healy (Peters 57), Garvan, Martin (Lambe 69), Stead (Wickham 69). Unused: Supple. Att: 5,873.