Town’s winless league run finally ended at the 15th attempt as Derby County were defeated 1-0 at Portman Road. David Wright netted the vital goal with a header in the 66th minute.
Boss Roy Keane made four changes from the side which drew at Plymouth last week. Alex Bruce came in for the injury Gareth McAuley alongside Damien Delaney, making his first appearance for the Blues at centre-half in place of Tommy Smith, who has picked up a hand injury.
Liam Trotter came back in for Jack Colback and Jon Stead replaced Pablo Couñago. Despite Bruce’s return, Jon Walters retained the captain’s armband.
Paul Dickov hit the game’s first chance into the sidenetting in the third minute after the Blues had failed to clear a corner.
Town had to wait until the ninth minute for their first opportunity, Walters found Stead with an excellent pass but last week’s scorer shot wide.
The Blues had what looked like a very good claim for a penalty turned down a minute later when Stead found Alan Quinn inside the area and the midfielder appeared to be up-ended by Bryan Hughes. Quinn in particular seemed certain he had been fouled but referee Anthony Taylor waved away the protests.
Liam Trotter saw two shots blocked after a Grant Leadbitter freekick had been cleared to him on the edge of the area, before Robbie Savage was yellow-carded for climbing on to Jon Walters’s back as the Town striker broke. Referee Taylor played a good advantage but the move came to nothing.
Just after the half hour, a neat interchange between Walters and Stead led to the skipper heading over. A few minutes later, Delaney headed straight at former Town loanee Stephen Bywater.
On 39 Gary Teale shot into the sidenetting as Derby made rare headway into the Blues penalty area.
Leadbitter’s 41st minute shot deflected wide. From the corner, Derby broke quickly and Savage, who had maintained a lively ongoing dialogue with the referee throughout the half despite his yellow card, scuffed a good chance wide from Teale’s cross, much the amusement of the home fans.
Just before the break, Alex Bruce headed a Carlos Edwards corner straight at Bywater.
Town had had the better of the chances but without really overly threatening to go in front in what was largely a scrappy game. Derby had enjoyed one or two long spells of possession but usually with the ball being played between the centre-halves and full-backs in unthreatening areas.
Alex Bruce headed straight at Bywater on 50, then Asmir Begovic made a fine save from Dickov at close range, although a flag had already been raised for offside.
The Bosnian international made another good save on 56, this time from a shot from a tight angle from Teale, then stopped a Hughes cross-shot as Derby started to look the more likely to score.
Just before the hour, Roy Keane sacrificed holding midfielder Liam Trotter and the largely ineffective Stead for Pablo Couñago and Tamás Priskin, Walters moving to left midfield and Quinn into the centre.
Quinn immediately struck a low shot through to Bywater, then on 65 the Blues went in front. Couñago and Priskin combined inside the area, Fredrik Stoor half-cleared to Liam Rosenior on the right, who sent in a cross which Wright headed home in front of Priskin to claim his first goal of the season.
The Hungarian came close to making it two moments later with a shot from the edge of the box which he curled just wide, the goal having given the Blues renewed impetus.
But soon the effects of the 14-game winless run started to tell on Town and there was a nervousness about the final quarter of an hour. Begovic saved from Hughes prior to Jaime Peters taking over from Carlos Edwards on the right.
Bruce headed a Leadbitter corner over the bar, then Dickov also went too high after a Wright error inside the area on the left.
Begovic was by now the busier of the two keepers and saved from Dean Moxey on 77, then Shaun Barker’s header flew narrowly wide.
Pablo Couñago, putting in a neat and tidy cameo performance, shot wide on the turn on 80, then Moxey was booked for a foul on Peters.
Walters shot wide for Town, the Priskin laid a ball back to Peters from the right but the Canadian scraped his shot well over when he ought to have done much better.
Town were looking dangerous on the break, no more so than when Priskin found himself away one-on-one with Bywater, having got away from a defender and just about stayed on his feet on the edge of the box. The Hungarian seemed certain to settle it but shot straight at the keeper, the ball going under the former Town loanee but a defender got back to clear.
Walters appeared to be booked for kicking the ball away after a Couñago foul 89, although the Town skipper seemed to indicate that the referee was cautioning him for the tackle in error.
Four minutes of injury time signalled more nailbiting for Town supporters, particularly when Bryan Hughes shot over, but eventually Mr Taylor blew his whistle and the winless run had come to an end.
By no means a classic performance from the Blues but in the circumstances that was hardly a surprise. Town had chances to add to their lead late on, most notably through Priskin, while Derby might have scored had Asmir Begovic not been in top form and stopped a succession of long-range efforts.
The win isn’t enough to take Town from the bottom of the table, but it marks the starting point in what will hopefully be a swift climb out of the relegation zone. But for the moment, the first victory itself is enough to celebrate.
Town: Begovic, Rosenior, D Wright, Delaney, Bruce, Trotter (Priskin 59), Leadbitter, Edwards (Peters 73), Quinn, Walters, Stead (Couñago 59). Unused: R Wright, Colback, Brown, Healy. Att: 20,299.