Town and West Ham played out an entertaining 0-0 draw in Portman Road’s only friendly of the summer. Jack Marriott and Cameron Stewart went closest to breaking the deadlock for the Blues in the first half, while former Blue Aaron Cresswell hit the bar on his return to his old club.
Dean Gerken started in goal for the Blues with Elliott Hewitt at right-back and Tyrone Mings on the left. Second-year scholar Matt Clarke, 17, was at the heart of the defence alongside Christophe Berra.
New signings Stewart and Alex Henshall took the right and left wide roles respectively with Cole Skuse and first-year pro Teddy Bishop at the centre. Up front, Frank Nouble, facing his old club, partnered Marriott up front.
Cresswell made a quick return to Portman Road having joined the Hammers from the Blues earlier in the month, while former Town loanee Mark Noble also started for the visitors.
The Hammers created the game’s first opening in the fifth minute, left winger Matt Jarvis was found in acres of space and sent in a cross which Cheikhou Kouyate nodded over at the far post.
West Ham continued to threaten and in the seventh minute Cresswell’s long ball found Carlton Cole, who teed-up Jarvis on the edge of the box but the midfielder, who played for Mick McCarthy at Wolves, blazed over.
Town’s first chance came in the 10th minute, Marriott picking up a loose ball midway inside the Hammers half but scuffing his 20-yard effort wide.
But the visitors were still having the best of it and in the 12th minute Stewart Downing hit a left-foot shot from 25 yards just over Gerken’s crossbar.
Two minutes later, returning former Blue Cresswell came close to a goal when a cross from the edge of the area took a deflection, left Gerken flat-footed but struck the top of the bar.
The Blues broke immediately, Nouble sending Henshall away down the left. The summer signing from Manchester City crossed towards Marriott, but the ball was nodded away ahead of the frontman.
Town should have gone in front in the 20th minute when Mings cut the ball back from the left to an unmarked Stewart, who hit his shot straight at Nouble.
Stewart might have done better two minutes later when found by Marriott as he broke into the area but his first touch was too heavy.
Improving Town were inches from going in front in the 26th minute when Marriott burst past James Collins and into the area on the right. The 19-year-old hit a low cross-shot just beyond the post and ahead of the diving Nouble.
Three minutes later, only a last-ditch Hewitt challenge diverted Mo Diame’s shot after Noble had found him with a cross from the left.
West Ham were by now again looking the more threatening side and on 34 Mings did well to get in ahead of Cole after Cresswell had sent in a teasing ball from the left, then following the resultant corner Noble curled an effort narrowly wide.
Two minutes before the break Jarvis was again found in space on the West Ham left but scraped a weak shot straight at Gerken. Just before the whistle, Diame hit a 20-yard strike which deflected wide.
The only surprise at half-time was that neither side had managed to break the deadlock given the number of chances at both ends.
Marriott, a threat throughout, will feel he should have done better with his chance as will Stewart.
Unsurprisingly, Premier League West Ham had most of the better chances but without Gerken having been forced into a serious save.
As at Shelbourne on Saturday, Mick McCarthy fielded an entirely different XI in the second half with new signing Bartosz Bialkowski in goal, Jonny Parr at right-back, Ben Wyatt on the left and Tommy Smith and Luke Chambers at the centre of the defence.
In central midfield Freddie Veseli partnered Luke Hyam with Jay Tabb on the left and Paul Anderson on the right. Paul Taylor and Daryl Murphy were up front. West Ham also switched their entire XI.
Veseli, who spent last week on trial at FC Luzern, struck the second half’s first serious effort but his edge-of-the-area strike looped over Adrian’s cross-bar.
Town had started the second period on top but just before the hour mark Seb Lletget struck a shot from the edge of the Blues box, Bialkowski saving comfortably to his left.
An unmarked Chambers headed Anderson’s 62nd minute corner over the bar, the centre-half clearly feeling he ought to have done better. A minute later, Parr crossed from the right and Murphy flicked a header to Adrian.
For the Hammers, Lletget flicked a 67th minute header wide from Joey O’Brien’s right-wing cross.
Two minutes later, Murphy picked up a loose ball midway inside the West Ham half before playing it wide to Taylor. The former Peterborough man chipped a cross towards Veseli at the far post but Josh Cullen got in ahead of him to nod behind.
Bialkowski did well to keep the scores level in the 72nd minute, making a superb reaction save from Lletget after the visitors had worked an opening inside the box. Moments later, the Polish keeper was caught somewhat late by Kevin Nolan.
As the game moved into its final 10 minutes Ricardo Vaz Te grazed the top of the net with a freekick from distance, then moments later, the former Bolton man somehow mis-hit the ball wide from eight yards under pressure from Wyatt, having been found by sub Paul McCallum’s cut-back from the left.
Despite the lack of goals, it had been an entertaining game with the draw probably the right result. Both sides had chances in either half with Marriott and Stewart having the Blues’ best before the break.
In the second half, Town had more of the ball and created most of the early chances but new signing Bialkowski was the busier of the two keepers and will have impressed his new fans with his display.
Town first half: Gerken, Hewitt, Berra, Clarke, Mings, Stewart, Skuse, Bishop, Henshall, Marriott, Nouble.
Town Second half: Bialkowski, Parr, Chambers, Smith, Wyatt, Anderson, Hyam, Veseli, Tabb, Murphy, Taylor. Subs: McQueen, Lawrence, Crowe.
West Ham first half: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble, Diame, Jarvis, Cole, Downing.
West Ham second half: Adrian, O’Brien, Reid, Chambers, Page, Cullen, Poyet, Vaz Te, Nolan, Lleget, Zarete (McCallum 78). Referee: Darren Deadman. Att: 8,976 (West Ham 1,920).
Photo: Ian Summers