Town missed a succession of second-half chances as they drew 1-1 at home with fellow play-off challengers Brentford. Daryl Murphy put the Blues ahead in the ninth minute via his 22nd goal of the season, Jonathan Douglas hit back for the Bees, before the Blues failed to take numerous opportunities to win it in the second half with Murphy missing a gilt-edged chance just after half-time.
Town boss Mick McCarthy recalled keeper Dean Gerken in place of Bartosz Bialkowski, one of four changes to the team which lost at Leeds.
While the back four was unchanges, Richard Chaplow came in on the right of midfield with Jay Tabb in the centre with Cole Skuse and Jonny Parr on the left. Murphy and Freddie Sears returned up front.
Brentford struck the first shot of the game in the third minute, one-time Town target Alan Judge cutting in from the left before hitting a low effort wide of Gerken’s right post.
As at Griffin Park on Boxing Day, Town scored with their first chance of the match, although on this occasion after nine minutes rather than 18 seconds.
Chaplow sent over a deep cross from the right, Christophe Berra nodded downwards towards goal, and Murphy added the final touch off the post at close range to claim his 22nd goal of the season and end his four-game mini-goal drought.
Four minutes after the Blues had taken the lead Sears was sent through the middle, battling with Liam Moore but was unable to shake the defender off and eventually his shot hit a defender.
The Blues kept up the pressure and on 13 Murphy almost made the most of Bees keeper David Button rushing out of his goal to the left chasing Tommy Smith’s long ball, but the Irishman hit his shot into the side-netting from a very tight angle.
On 15 Chaplow played Parr into a promising position on the left of the area but the Norwegian smashed his low shot across the face of goal.
Gerken, playing his first game since suffering a groin problem in the warm-up at Blackpool in November, was first called into action in the 23rd minute when he dived away to his left to claim Alex Pritchard’s 25-yard strike.
But two minutes later the visitors were on terms. Space was cleverly worked for Judge to cross from the right, Gerken superbly saved Stuart Dallas’s low far-post volley but Bees skipper Jonathan Douglas reacted quickly to nod home the rebound.
Brentford weren’t far from a second in the 31st minute when Judge got ahead of Parr to flick a Pritchard left-wing cross wide at the far post.
Two minutes later, the Bees failed to deal with a Tabb freekick in from the left but the ball just wouldn’t fall for Sears and then Mings. On 37 Pritchard picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Skuse.
The Bees had been on top since equalising but the Blues created an opportunity in the 38th minute, Sears crossing from the right to Murphy, who was just unable to work the ball into a position from which he could shoot.
There was controversy in the 41st minute when Murphy played in Parr from the right, sending the Norwegian through towards goal on the edge of the box where he was awkwardly felled by Moses Odubajo.
Referee Scott Duncan looked to have a big decision to make but instead pulled play back to penalise Murphy - perhaps for handball - much the surprise and annoyance of the home crowd.
The Bees went close to going in front soon, Andre Gray turning Pritchard’s cross from the right only just wide after Judge had seized on a weak Mings header.
Just before the break, Tabb broke quickly following a poorly worked Brentford corner, finding Sears on the right. The ex-Colchester man crossed low to Chaplow, whose shot was saved by Button and Tabb and Murphy were unable to get onto the rebound.
The 1-1 scoreline at the break was a reasonable reflection of a game which had swung one way and then the other with both teams having had chances to add to their goal.
The Blues might have had it sealed had they taken their opportunities straight after Murphy had put them in the lead, but the Bees came back into it and deserved their equaliser when it came and had chances to get themselves in front before the break.
Less than a minute after the restart the Blues should have been back in front. Parr escaped down the left of the area and cut the ball across to Murphy, who was a matter of feet out. But, with the goal gaping, somehow the Championship’s top scorer slid in and diverted the ball over the bar when a goal seemed certain.
A minute later, Sears saw a shot blocked, then after Town had made rather heavy weather of clearing a Brentford corner from the left, Douglas was booked for a foul on Parr.
The Blues should have got their noses back in front again in the 57th minute when Tabb found Berra in space on the left of the area following a corner. The Scottish international played a low ball across the six-yard box but no one was there to add the final touch.
Town continued to look the more threatening team, Mings pulling off a clever turn on the edge of the box before hitting a low shot through to Button.
Soon after, Sears battled with Odubajo after a ball had been played through the middle, the Town striker eventually fouling the defender, then the ex-Leyton Orient man did well to get back to dispossess the Blues frontman after he had been played in on the left.
Town boss McCarthy made a double substitution in the 64th minute with Chaplow and Sears replaced by Teddy Bishop and Chris Wood. The decision to replace the lively Sears was met with a chorus of boos from the Blues support.
Gerken saved Pritchard’s 25-yard freekick after Town had made their change but the visitors had threatened rarely since the break with the Blues having had more than enough chances to restore their lead.
Town had another excellent opportunity to score soon afterwards when Murphy was sent through on goal by Mings’s long ball but keeper Button saved with his left hand. Seconds later, Wood was flagged offside when in behind the Bees’ backline when he seemed to have timed his run correctly.
Murphy hit a low shot from the right of the area as the Blues kept up the pressure, then at the other end Gray hit a looping effort straight at Gerken after seizing on a Town error.
The chances continued to come and Wood should have netted his first goal for the Blues in the 76th minute, the New Zealand international nodding Bishop’s right-wing cross wide at the near post.
With nine minutes left on the clock Toumani Diagouraga was booked for pulling back Wood, prior to Town having another chance to go back in front. Bishop found himself space inside the area and hit a shot which Button saved.
Parr was yellow-carded for a foul, then Odubajo joined him in the book for a foul on the Norwegian.
Brentford carved out a rare second-half chance in the final minute of scheduled time when Pritchard was fed inside the area but Smith got a cross superbly to block.
Town continued to push for a winner in five minutes of injury time but the goal which would take them back into the play-off zone wouldn’t come.
The points ought to have been sealed well before that in what had been a thoroughly entertaining game, however, with the Blues having failed to convert at least four good second-half chances, Murphy’s miss just after the break the most glaring.
Town remain seventh, a point behind the sixth-placed Bees and five points off the automatic promotion places with a visit to Middlesbrough, who are now fourth, up next Saturday.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Chaplow (Bishop 64), Parr, Tabb, Murphy, Sears (Wood 64). Unused: Bialkowski, Clarke, Anderson, Connolly, Varney.
Brentford: Button, Bidwell, Douglas, Odubajo, Dallas, Judge (Jota 67), Gray (Long 75), Diagouraga, Pritchard, Tarkowski, Moore (Dean 71). Unused: Bonham, McCormack, Toral, Smith. Referee: Scott Duncan (Northumberland). Attendance: 20,132 (Brentford: 1,245).