The Blues reserves beat Bury Town 2-1 at Ram Meadow on Tuesday evening in front of watching first team boss Roy Keane. Irishmen Shane O’Connor and Ronan Murray scored the Town goals.
Bury lined up with four players who have all spent time at Portman Road, skipper Gavin Johnson played over 100 games for Town’s first team in the 90s, whilst keepers Marcus Garnham and Nick Pope, along with full-back Russell Short, have all made appearances for Town’s youth sides.
As expected, Town gave valuable match practice to first-team full-backs David Wright and Ben Thatcher.
Bury keeper Garnham did well to parry Ronan Murray’s powerful shot in the sixth minute, before Luke Hyam somehow managed to head the ball over the bar from a Reggie Lambe cross.
Town took the lead after 34 minutes when recent signing Shane O’Connor beat a number of Bury players before firing a shot past Garnham.
Murray hit another shot just wide of the post soon after, prior to Garnham making a good stop from Ed Upson following good build-up play from O’Connor on the left.
The Blues started the second half well and Murray hit a rasping shot from 20 yards that flew just over, before Garnham saved Lambe’s low shot.
Ben Thatcher lasted just over an hour with Seb Dunbar taking over at left-back shortly before Bury got back on terms. Jack Ainsley was caught in possession on the edge of the Town box which allowed Bury substitute Andrew Tidswell to sidefoot the ball past Ian McLoughlin in the Blues goal.
The home side received a boost from their equaliser and Ben Coker saw his shot blocked on the line in a desperate goalmouth scramble that Town just about survived before they took the lead on 71 minutes. David Cawley played in fellow countryman Murray, who hit a fierce drive that struck the post before flying into the net.
Garnham managed to palm Upson’s shot round the post before David Wright was replaced late on, which signalled Roy Keane’s premature exit from the ground.
Town: McLoughlin, D Wright (Eastman 84), Thatcher (Dunbar 62), Hyam (Griffiths 84), Brown, Ainsley (c), O’Connor, Cawley, Murray (Lavery 80), Upson and Lambe. Unused: Clark and Carson.
Report James Ager.