Second-half goals from Daryl Murphy and sub Paul Anderson saw Town to a 2-0 home victory over Reading at Portman Road. After an even first half in which the visitors were aggrieved at not being awarded a penalty, the Blues were on top after the break with Murphy opening the scoring in the 62nd minute and Anderson adding a late second.
Former Royal Stephen Hunt replaced the injured Luke Hyam in an otherwise unchanged side lining up in a 4-4-2 formation. Reading, who beat Bolton 7-1 last week, were unchanged for the third successive game.
Prospective new loan signing Frazer Richardson was spotted at the ground with his move from Middlesbrough expected to be confirmed on Monday.
The Royals looked to continue where they left off last week, winger Garath McCleary breaking into space on the right in only the first minute but sent his shot well wide of Dean Gerken’s left post.
Soon after Hunt’s impressive break down the Town had been cut out, Adam Le Fondre — scorer of a first-half hat-trick in the victory over Bolton - almost found Pavel Pogrebnyak with a delicate chip, but Christophe Berra intervened. Soon after, Daryl Murphy scraped a shot wide from 25 yards.
Hunt wasn’t too far away from scoring against his old club in the 10th minute after Murphy had nodded down Luke Chambers’s cross from the right. The bounced awkwardly for the Irishman but he still managed a shot at goal, which was blocked. At the other end, Jordan Obita’s cross from the left was nodded high and wide by Pogrebnyak at the far post.
Town had started brightly and in the 13th minute Hunt played a corner to the on-rushing Aaron Cresswell who, after avoiding referee Andrew Madley, struck a shot which deflected wide off McCleary.
Reading felt they should have been awarded a penalty in the 16th minute when Tunnicliffe challenged Royals’ skipper Jobi McAnuff close to the byline. The Blues may well have been fortunate to get away with it, according some close to the incident in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
On 18 Pogrebnyak went close to scoring what would have been a fortunate goal which Berra’s clearance from McCleary’s cross deflected off him and flew wide.
As the game moved towards the half hour, the visitors started to look the more threatening side, Cresswell eventually clearing a goalmouth scramble after a corner. For the Blues, Tommy Smith headed Tunnicliffe’s right-wing cross wide at the far post.
David McGoldrick hit a shot on the turn from distance in the 40th minute but was unable to test Reading keeper Alex McCarthy, who spent time on loan with the Blues in 2011/12.
Close to the end of the scheduled 45 minutes, McAnuff crossed from the right and the ball was half-cleared to Pogrebnyak but three Town players — Skuse, Chambers and Berra - threw themselves in front of it to block.
As the half moved into injury time Danny Williams hit a 25-yard strike which Gerken did well to push past his left post.
The scoreline was a fair reflection of a first half which had started brightly but had rather faded as it progressed. Opportunities had been rare but both sides had had chances, or rather half-chances, with Reading probably unfortunate not to have been awarded a penalty for Tunnicliffe’s challenge on McAnuff.
Skipper Carlos Edwards was replaced at right midfield by Paul Anderson at the break and the Blues started on the front foot.
On 50 one-time Norwich loanee Alex Pearce was booked for blocking McGoldrick. From the resultant Cresswell freekick Smith headed over but clearly thought he should have done better. Two minutes later, Berra did well to dispossess Le Fondre as he chased a ball over the top.
Hunt was booked in the 54th minute after sliding into keeper McCarthy, who had beaten him to a loose ball on the goal-line. Chambers’s cross from the right had been headed into the air by Murphy and then towards goal without too much power by McGoldrick, whose shirt was clearly being pulled, although with the flag having been raised for offside.
There was a brief flare-up after Hunt’s challenge but order was soon restored and referee Madley only took Hunt’s name. McCarthy was fine after treatment.
Town had looked much the more threatening side after the break and on the hour Hunt sent over a cross from the right but just beyond McGoldrick.
But two minutes later the Irishman created another opening from which the Blues went in front. The ex-Royal brought the ball forward from halfway before stabbing a pass towards McGoldrick and Murphy on the right of the area.
The Blues top scorer couldn’t get enough on the ball but Murphy behind him slammed a shot into the corner of the net off the underside of the bar to claim his eighth goal of the season.
Having been the architect of the goal, Hunt made way for his fellow ex-Reading man Jay Tabb in the 66th minute, the Irishman receiving a standing ovation from the Portman Road crowd as he made his way off.
McGoldrick should have made it 2-0 in the 70th minute when superbly played in by sub Anderson. The striker looked set to net his 14th goal of the season but McCarthy did well to block. Murphy subsequently shot weakly to the keeper.
Reading were close to getting on terms in the 74th minute when Obita’s cross from the left looked destined to be tapped home from inches out by sub Nick Blackman until Cresswell brilliantly backheeled the ball away from the danger zone.
The visitors were by now putting the Blues under pressure and they went close again on 77 when Chris Gunter cut the ball back to Blackman from the right. The substitute’s first shot was blocked by Berra — by now wearing a bandage after a clash of heads — and his second flew deep into the lower tier of the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.
With rain by now falling heavily, McCarthy dropped an 82nd minute Cresswell freekick from the right under pressure from Berra, Pogrebnyak doing well to clear. The Blues regained possession and Murphy’s shot was saved.
As the game moved into its final scheduled five minutes, Anderson stabbed McGoldrick’s low cross from the left wide, then three minutes later Blackman shot well over with Town looking more likely to increase their lead than the Royals were to get back on terms.
And in the final minute of normal time, the Blues did add their second. McGoldrick laid the ball back to Anderson on the right of the area and the half-time sub took the ball past Obika before smashing a shot across McCarthy and into the same corner of the net hit by Murphy earlier in the half. It was Anderson’s third goal of the season.
Tyrone Mings replaced McGoldrick as the match — by now being played in monsoon conditions - moved into injury time, then Anderson was booked for timewasting.
As at the end of the first half, Gerken saved a distance strike from Williams, this time down to his right, before referee Madley confirmed an important win for Mick McCarthy’s men, their first since Boxing Day.
After an even first 45 minutes — in which the Royals will claim they should have been awarded a spotkick - the Blues deserved the victory based on a second half display in which they could — and probably should — have scored more goals.
Town showed more attacking endeavour than in previous games with Hunt particularly effective on the left and it was one of his driving runs forward which led to his fellow Waterford man Murphy breaking the deadlock. Anderson also put in a more adventurous display on the right having come on at half-time.
McGoldrick will feel he should have sealed it with his chance but made amends by creating the late second for Anderson.
The result sees the Blues move up to seventh, two points behind the Royals in the final play-off place.
Town: Gerken, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Edwards (c) (Anderson 46), Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Hunt (Tabb 66), Murphy, McGoldrick (Mings 90). Unused: Loach, Wordsworth, Nouble, Taylor.
Reading: McCarthy, Gunter, Obita, Pearce, Gorkss, Williams, Akpan, McCleary (Blackman 71), McAnuff (c), Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre. Unused: Federici, Cummings, Kelly, Hector, J Taylor, Drenthe. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire). Att: 15,323 (Reading: 568).