Darren Ambrose was on target as Town’s U21s drew 1-1 with Cardiff in a scruffy, wind-affected game at a cold Playford Road. Ambrose put the Blues in front in the 22nd minute but the Bluebirds equalised with 18 minutes remaining.
Mark Kennedy's side, who were watched by boss Mick McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor, included Ambrose, Teddy Bishop, Cameron Stewart and new keeper Paddy Kenny from the start with on-trial Arsenal centre-half Semi Ajayi also in the XI alongside Matt Clarke.
The Crayford-born defender, an U21 international with Nigeria, joined the Gunners from Charlton in 2013 having spent 10 years in the Addicks' youth system, signing a two-year deal.
Ajayi, who spent time on loan in non-league with Dartford in 2012, scoring one goal in three appearances, has been an unused sub for the Arsenal first-team but is yet to make his debut for the North Londoners and is set to be released in the summer. He spent last week on trial with Sunderland.
The Blues had the wind behind them in the first half but didn’t threaten until the 10th minute when Clarke teed up Bishop after a corner, the midfielder, playing wide on the right, smashing over from a tight angle. Six minutes later, Stewart scraped a shot wide.
Cardiff’s first chance of the game saw Tom James hit a 25-yard freekick over Kenny’s crossbar but most of the game had been played in the Bluebirds half and on 22 Town went in front.
Stewart exchanged passes with left-back Ben Wyatt before cutting the ball across to Ambrose, who diverted into the net from close range.
Four minutes later, right-back Josh Emmanuel cut in from the right and hit a shot which Cardiff keeper Charlie Horton did well to save.
On 36 Wyatt crossed from the left but neither Emmanuel nor Darren McQueen could manage to find space to get in a shot. The ball eventually ran out to midfielder Victor Guldbrandsen but he scuffed his effort.
Moments before the break, the visitors threatened, but Clarke got across to block in front of Danny Johnson after a cross from the left had reached him at the far post.
Five minutes after the restart, with the wind by now behind the Welshmen, the lively Johnson shot well wide, then soon after he turned and hit an effort over having been found by Anthony Bell’s left-wing cross.
Ambrose, playing off lone striker McQueen, wasn’t far from his second in the 57th minute when Cardiff failed to clear Emmanuel’s under-hit effort from the edge of the box. The former England U21 international looped the ball over keeper Horton but onto the roof of the net.
Just after the hour mark first-year pro Kyle Hammond made his long-awaited return from injury, the 19-year-old having suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury back in March.
Hammond took over from Bishop, who showed one or two moments of quality in what were tricky conditions, at right midfield rather than taking up his more usual right-back position.
The visitors got back on terms via their first serious chance of the second half. The ball was cut across from the right, Paddy Kenny did well to save from Ben Watkins with his feet but sub Gethyn Hill was first to the loose ball and tapped home.
After Monty Patterson had replaced McQueen up front, Ambrose hit a shot straight at Horton. At the other end, Wyatt dived in to block from Hill.
New Zealand U20 international Patterson should have put the Blues back in front on 81 when Hammond whipped over a teasing cross from the right but the sub flicked his header across the face of goal and wide.
The Blues went close again a minute later when the again impressive Kundai Benyu, who travelled with the first-team squad to Brighton last week, brought the ball forward before laying it wide to Hammond. The sub sent over a powerfully hit cross to the far post but Danish midfielder Guldbrandsen was unable to find the target with his header.
With five minutes remaining Cardiff’s Theo Wharton dispossessed Benyu midway inside the Town half and laid it off to Johnson, Kenny doing well to stop the striker’s shot with an outstretched left foot.
The visitors weren’t far away from nicking it with 90 seconds left on the clock, Hari Amondarain cutting the ball back to Hill from the right but his goal-bound shot struck Johnson and deflected wide.
In the closing moments Kenny saved sharply from trialist Ajayi’s inadvertent goalwards header from a Cardiff corner.
Seconds before the whistle, Watkins and Benyu were booked, the former for a foul and the latter for his subsequent reaction.
Town had enough chances to claim all three points and would have been deserved winners on the overall balance of the game.
After being brushed off the ball rather too easily early on, trialist Ajayi didn’t do too much else wrong in what were very testing conditions for defenders with Clarke alongside him again once again amongst the U21s’ best performers.
Ambrose showed his quality when on the ball but perhaps wasn’t involved as much as he might have been in the role between midfield and striker, while Stewart was instrumental in Town’s well-worked goal and enjoyed a bright first half.
Keeper Kenny was competent throughout, kicking well despite the wind and couldn’t be blamed for the goal having done well to save the initial shot.
U21s: Kenny, Emmanuel, Ajayi, Clarke. Wyatt, Guldbandsen, Bishop (Hammond 62), Benyu, Ambrose, McQueen (Patterson 76), Stewart. Unused: Crowe, C Smith, Ramadan.