A second half Gareth McAuley header gave a strong Blues side a 1-0 friendly victory over Bury Town at Ram Meadow. The home side kept Town on terms in the first half, but the visitors made their superiority show after the break and in the end should have won more comfortably.
Town lined up with Tamás Priskin in the centre of the front three in Connor Wickham’s absence, with Carlos Edwards on the left and Jon Walters on the right. Luke Hyam took up the deeper lying midfield role with Grant Leadbitter and Conor Hourihane ahead of him.
Tommy Smith returned to the centre of the defence for the first time since the World Cup, while new signing Mark Kennedy was amongst the subs.
Jon Stead, Owen Garvan and Alex Bruce were missing with their moves to Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Leeds ongoing. Colin Healy remains on the sidelines with a hamstring injury along with David Norris (back), Damien Delaney (thigh) and Wickham (ankle).
New man Hourihane hit the game’s first shot in the 17th minute, albeit well over after a neat Edwards layback.
It had been a slow start from the Blues with Ryman League Premier Division Bury passing the ball around neatly, but in the 20th minute skipper Jon Walters went close when he nodded Grant Leadbitter’s hook into the area over after a corner.
Five minutes later Leadbitter shot wide, then just before the half hour mark Walters took down a long pass, cut in and hit a shot over.
Hourihane struck a left-foot shot across the face of goal in the 33rd minute, then the home side came close to going in front with the move of the half. Former Blues academy striker Kieran Leabon fed Chris Henderson down the left, Brian Murphy pulling off a fine save and also stopping Scott Chaplin’s rebound.
On 40 Walters played in Priskin one-on-one with Bury keeper Marcus Garnham, who blocked from the Hungarian international, who looked short on confidence after his disappointing year at Portman Road.
New signing Mark Kennedy was introduced at half-time, taking over from Conor Hourihane, who as at Leiston last night impressed, this time in a more attacking role. His left-foot set pieces also look likely to become a regular fixture once he has established himself in the first team. Kennedy went to left-back with Shane O’Connor switching to midfield.
Early in the second period Edwards headed a Peters cross straight at Garnham, then the Bury keeper, who played a few games for Town’s U18s and reserves in 2005 and 2006, saved Leadbitter’s low 20-yard drive.
On 51 Priskin had another good chance to put Town in front but failed to get a significant touch as he looked to take the ball past the keeper and Garnham got a toe to it.
Moments later, Walters headed over from a half-cleared corner, then in the 55th minute Smith flicked a header well wide from another corner on the right.
Gareth McAuley was denied twice on the hour mark from a corner. First the Northern Irishman’s header was cleared off the line, then his subsequent effort was blocked.
From the resultant corner, the ball was played back in from deep by Peters, Walters flicked on, Priskin laid off to O’Connor, who forced Garnham to make the save of the game, pushing his shot wide.
The goal which had been coming for most of the half finally came in the 63rd minute, Gareth McAuley powerfully heading in from eight yards from a cross from the right. While Bury prepared for the kick-off, Reggie Lambe replaced O’Connor with Edwards moving into the centre.
On 74 Priskin, who was getting more and more into the game, twisted and turned his way into the penalty area but stabbed weakly at the keeper, who also stopped his spectacular overhead kick rebound.
Four minutes later a Priskin flick put Walters in the clear, but the Town skipper saw his effort saved. Soon after, Leadbitter’s shot from the edge of the box deflected through to the keeper.
Bury will be pleased with the manner in which they matched Town in the first half, but on the balance of the second period the Blues deserved the win and probably should have scored more than the single goal with Tamás Priskin and Jon Walters amongst those guilty of misses.
New man Kennedy looked assured and confident at left-back, loudly issuing instructions to his team-mates throughout, giving little sign that he had only joined the club earlier in the day.
Town: Murphy, Peters, O’Connor (Lambe 63), Hyam, McAuley, Smith, Walters, Hourihane (Kennedy 46), Priskin, Leadbitter, Edwards. Unused: McLoughlin, Ainsley, Brown. Att: 1025.