First half goals from Jason Scotland and David Norris saw the Blues to a 2-1 victory over already-relegated Preston in their final home game of the season. Town were good for their 2-0 lead at the break but their performance again drifted in a second half in which Paul Coutts pulled one back for the visitors.
Boss Paul Jewell gave a full debut to Ronan Murray up front alongside Jason Scotland with Josh Carson switching to the left of midfield and David Norris to the right.
Jimmy Bullard, who had been out with a knee problem, returned to the team in central midfield in place of Andy Drury, while Márton Fülöp took over from Arran Lee-Barrett in goal with Brian Murphy taking the keeper’s position on the bench.
Connor Wickham missed out with his rib injury, while Gareth McAuley (torn groin muscle) and Darren O’Dea (ankle) had already been ruled out. Preston gave debuts to right-back Scott Leather and central defender Daniel Devine.
After a wasted early Town corner, Troy Brown picked up an early booking inside the second minute for a foul on Keith Treacy on the Preston left. Barry Nicholson sent the freekick into the box and the unmarked Devine headed wide when he probably should have scored.
After what had been a scrappy opening, particularly from the Blues, Town went ahead in the 10th minute. Carson took the ball to the byline on the left before cutting the ball back to Scotland, who stroked home his 10th goal of the season from 12 yards out.
In the 19th minute, it was two. Scotland fought off two Preston players to send Bullard away down the left, the on-loan Hull man cutting in and laying the ball across to Murray, Lilywhites’ keeper Iain Turner saving with his foot but Norris following up to score his 11th of the season.
Preston went close on 26 when skipper Billy Jones beat Fülöp to Danny Mayor’s corner on the left but headed wide. In the 29th minute Jamie Proctor replaced Treacy for Preston, the winger having failed to recover from his early knock.
The Blues were continuing to have most of the game and on 33 Carlos Edwards played the ball in from the right to Norris, who moved it on to Scotland, the Trinidadian teeing up Grant Leadbitter on the edge of the area and the ex-Sunderland man hit a low shot wide.
Preston keeper Turner did well to hold on to a powerful 37th minute Bullard freekick from 30 yards out on the left after Carson had been fouled. A minute later Carson’s speculative shot from a similar distance but more centrally went well wide.
Murray came close to scoring his second Town goal of the season in the 43rd minute when he deftly took down Bullard’s long pass but Turner was again equal to his effort on goal. Moments before the half moved into one minute of injury time, Carson shot over after another neat Blues move down the left.
The Blues had been good for their lead at the break and might even have scored more. The excellent Murray and Scotland had given Paul Jewell’s side far more threat than had been evident in recent weeks, while Carson had continued the bright start to his senior career by picking up an assist.
However, this was against a Preston side who had looked very much a relegated team. Even so, manager Phil Brown will feel his side might have made more of their two set piece chances during the opening period. The visitors’ boss made his second change of the match at the break, former Norwich trainee Paul Hayes taking over from Chris Brown.
Preston pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute when Carson was beaten in the air midway inside the Town half and Paul Coutts took the ball past Kennedy before hitting a low shot beyond Fülöp from the edge of the area with the rest of the Blues defence standing off him.
On 57 Coutts made a similar run but this time his shot was blocked on the 18-yard line. However, Preston kept the ball and Jones crossed low from the left, Fülöp dropping the ball on the edge of the six-yard area. Fortunately, Kennedy was on hand to stab away but only to Coutts, who this time slammed over from the edge of the box.
Town hadn’t got into their stride in the second half but on 59 Carson took the ball down the left, however his shot failed to test Turner.
There was another major scare for the Blues on 63 when Nicholson ran from deep to pick up a Hayes through ball after Leadbitter had lost sloppily lost possession midway inside the Town half, but Fülöp came off his line quickly to block.
A minute later, Mayor was booked for a foul on Bullard, the midfielder curling the 25-yard freekick over the bar. Soon after, Andy Drury replaced Ronan Murray, who had put in a lively first 45 minutes but had faded after the break.
Bullard shot at Turner from the edge of the box on 69 after a series of crosses had flown in and out of the Preston area with the Blues starting to make more of an impact on the half.
But Preston were still looking dangerous, Kennedy bundling a Coutts cross behind then, after Fülöp had punched weakly, Hayes hit a low shot which the Hungarian saved comfortably.
The Lilywhites could count themselves very unlucky not to be on terms in the 74th minute when Proctor stabbed Hayes’s low cross from the right straight at Fülöp from six yards out when it seemed easier to score.
Edwards took the ball from box to box on 78 but shot wide, then a Norris volley from a Bullard corner on the left deflected out for another flagkick.
On 85 Jaime Peters, whose only previous involvement under Paul Jewell’s management had been the new boss’s first game at Millwall and 11 minutes of the 6-0 win at Doncaster, was introduced in place of Carson. Two minutes later, Luciano Civelli took over from Scotland up front with neither side threatening in the final minutes of a game.
Having been well on top for much of the first half, the Blues could consider themselves lucky not to have been pegged back during a second half in which Preston probably should have taken at least one more of a number of chances.
As in so many recent games, it was a somewhat lacklustre Town display after the break with the Lilywhites significantly improving with the introduction of Paul Hayes and having been given the boost of their goal seven minutes in.
The match never really hit too many heights in terms of excitement with both teams’ campaigns over and it was played in a post-season friendly type of atmosphere.
Following the final whistle the players and staff made the traditional lap of honour around the pitch to applause and songs in praise of Jimmy Bullard.
Despite the disappointing second half, the three points are very much welcome after the two successive heavy defeats as Town go into their final game of the season at Leicester next Saturday.
Ipswich: Fülöp, Edwards, Kennedy, Delaney, Brown, Leadbitter, Norris, Bullard, Carson (Peters 85), Murray (Drury 66), Scotland (Civelli 87). Unused: Murphy, Eastman, Healy, Whight.
Preston: Turner, Leather, Jones, Morgan, Devine, Coutts, Mayor, Barton (Middleton 70), Treacy (Proctor 29), Nicholson, Brown (Hayes 46). Unused: Arestidou, Miller, Carter, Clucas. Referee Kevin Wright (Cambridgeshire). Att: 18,431 (Preston: 228).