Luke Hyam, Daryl Murphy and Paul Taylor were on the scoresheet as Town’s final pre-season friendly ended 3-3 at Notts County. The Blues were 2-1 in front at the break — ex-Town striker Danny Haynes netting for the home side — before Taylor lashed in a brilliant freekick for a much-changed Blues side after the break and County added two more, including a brilliant equaliser from Yoann Arquin.
Paul Anderson and Cole Skuse both started in which looked like the side Mick McCarthy plans to field at Reading in next week’s Championship opener.
The former Nottingham Forest man missed the last two games with a hamstring problem, while Skuse was subbed with a knee injury at Colchester on Tuesday.
New loan signing Ryan Tunnicliffe was on the bench, while skipper Carlos Edwards is still absent after his spell away with Trinidad and Tobago and midfielder Josh Carson was also absent.
Ex-Blue Danny Haynes and former loanee Bartosz Bialkowski were in Chris Kiwomya's Notts County side, while on-trial ex-Town striker Ronan Murray and former U18s captain Callum Bennett were on the Magpies’ bench.
The first chance of the game in the second minute when Mark Fotheringham played in Enoch Showunmi but Blues keeper Scott Loach blocked. The ball looped to Haynes who headed well over.
Town went straight up the other end and went even closer. Aaron Cresswell crossed from the left and Daryl Murphy’s bouncing header beat Bialkowski but struck the Polish keeper’s right post.
The Irishman ought to have done better a minute later when he flicked a header wide after good work from David McGoldrick, who started his career with home town club County, on the left.
The early flurry of chances continued with Cresswell finding Hyam well placed inside the area, but the midfielder screwed his shot well wide and too far in front of Murphy.
On nine Cresswell signalled that the game was up for him and made his way off the field. The left-back has been suffering with a thigh injury throughout pre-season. Tyrone Mings took over.
Town went in front in the 15th minute through Luke Hyam. McGoldrick nodded a long ball down to Murphy, who held off a defender before backheeling into the path of Jay Tabb. The midfielder crossed from the left and Hyam stooped to nod a six-yard header across Bialkowski and into the net for a well-crafted goal.
Eight minutes later it was 2-0. Mings played the ball down the line, McGoldrick crossed and Murphy tapped home from six yards for his fifth goal of pre-season.
On 25 Fotheringham turned a weak shot to Loach, back in his home town, from the edge of the box, then winger Jamal Campbell-Ryce saw a powerful strike deflect wide. But in the main Town had been comfortable and they had had enough chances to be further ahead.
Just after the half hour a simmering spat between Hyam and Joss Labadie briefly spilled over into a bout of handbags, but referee Andy Woolmer restored order without showing cards which would have been inevitable in a competitive fixture.
However, only a minute or so later the two challenged for the ball and Hyam, probably harshly as he looked to have been pulled the ground by the Magpies player, along with stand-in skipper Luke Chambers, was spoken to further by the referee.
The home side pulled a goal back in the 35th minute. Campbell-Ryce’s low cross from the right deflected to Haynes, who hit a low shot beyond Loach from just inside the area.
Chambers headed an Anderson corner straight at Bialkowski in the 43rd minute with the Blues still on top despite the County goal.
The Blues made seven changes at the break, Dean Gerken, Frederic Veseli, Christophe Berra, Anthony Wordsworth, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Frank Nouble and Paul Taylor replacing Loach, Hewitt, Chambers, Hyam, Skuse, Murphy and McGoldrick. Wordsworth less than five minutes before being replaced by Amir Berkane.
Town increased their lead in the 57th minute via a stunning Paul Taylor freekick from five yards away from the corner of the penalty area on the left. Keeper Bialkowski was left standing as the ball flew past him to his right.
Within three minutes, the home side had pulled another goal back. A freekick was sent in from deep on the left, Town failed to clear and Manny Smith slammed the ball across Gerken and into the net.
On 64 Gary Liddle squeezed a shot wide from 25 yards before Yoan Arquin forced Gerken to save low down with a strike from the left. Smith and Mings cleared.
The home side continued to threaten and on 67 former QPR man Gavin Mahon lashed well over after a corner was cleared to him.
Soon after, Town made their final two subs, David October and Kyle Hammond taking over from Mings and Tabb. Soon after Manny Smith hit the post from a corner but having committed a foul.
On 73 Gerken was forced into a save by Liddle from a corner with the Magpies looking the more likely side to score at this stage.
The home side got back on terms in the 77th minute with a goal every bit as good as Taylor’s. Yoan Arquin brought the ball past Berkane and Hammond at pace, cut into the area and lashed a low shot past Gerken to his left.
The goal had been coming with County presenting the greater the threat since the substitutions. On 79 Gerken did well to push Hammond’s headed backpass wide.
Ex-Blue Ronan Murray, currently on trial at Meadow Lane came on for the final five minutes, with the game looking destined to be a draw. Frank Nouble screwed a late opportunity wide from the right of the penalty area.
Given the substitutions it was very much a game of two halves. The Blues were very much on top in the first half and might have gone in more than 2-1 in front.
In the second half, the more inexperienced Town team increased their lead with their only chance of the half, Taylor’s brilliant freekick with the largely more senior home side deserving to level things on the balance of the 45 minutes.
Overall, Mick McCarthy will be delighted to have gone through pre-season unbeaten, even if today’s result saw the 100% record go, ahead of the start of the season proper next weekend at Reading.
Town: Loach (Gerken 46), Hewitt (Veseli 46), Chambers (Berra 46), Smith, Cresswell (Mings 10 (October 68)), Anderson, Hyam (Wordsworth 46 (Berkane 50)), Skuse (Tunnicliffe 46), Tabb (Hammond 68), Murphy (Nouble 46), McGoldrick (Taylor 46). Ref: Andy Woolmer. Att: 1,532 (Town: 260).