Second-half goals from debutant Josh Yorwerth and Jay Tabb saw the Blues to a 2-1 Capital One Cup first round victory over Stevenage at Portman Road. The visitors, who were awarded a late penalty before referee Fred Graham changed his mind, took the lead in the 34th minute via Christophe Berra’s own goal, but Yorwerth nodded in an equaliser on 55 and Tabb the winner 14 minutes from the end as the Blues improved after the break to claim a place in round two.
Central defender Yorwerth, left-back Myles Kenlock, winger Larsen Touré and striker Brett Pitman were handed their debuts in a much-changed Town line-up. Skipper Luke Chambers was the only player in the XI who started at Brentford on Saturday.
Kenlock was making his first senior appearance, while summer signing from Cardiff Yorwerth’s only previous experience of first team football was during a loan spell with Hereford United in the Evo-Stik League last season.
Guinean international Touré and Pitman also made their Blues bows having joined the club in the summer, while Giles Coke and Jonathan Douglas made their first Town starts.
After a quiet start, Pitman turned the game’s first chance wide at the near post in the ninth minute after Touré had crossed from the right.
Two minutes later, Charlie Lee hit a shot which deflected wide, then following the resultant corner skipper Steven Schumacher fired wide from distance.
The visitors began to present the greater threat with the Blues looking somewhat disjointed in the early stages. On 18 Christophe Berra got in the way of Dean Parrett’s strike, then from the corner Fraser Franks’s header was saved by Dean Gerken.
Just after the 20-minute mark Douglas chipped the ball over the Boro backline towards David McGoldrick but the Town number 10 was flagged offside.
David McAllister scraped a shot well wide in the 26th minute when he should have done much better having been teed up by Dipo Akinyemi after the striker had got in behind Yorwerth, a ball having been played over the top down the left.
Three minutes later, Chambers over-hit his cross from the right after a sweeping Town move involving Jay Tabb, McGoldrick, Kenlock and Douglas.
After Stevenage had taken several goes at clearing a corner on the left - a Douglas shot struck a hand claimed the home crowd - Coke was booked for a foul as Parrett broke. Touré joined him in referee Graham’s book soon afterwards for a foul on Tom Pett.
Tabb was unable to take down Pitman’s clever pass into the area when in a dangerous position, then on 34 the visitors went in front.
Coke was dispossessed midway inside the Town half on the left - the midfielder believing he was fouled - before Akinyemi took the ball into the area easily and found Parrett, who easily beat Yorwerth but whose shot was stopped by Gerken. However, the ball rebounded off the unfortunate Berra and into the net.
The Blues had been thoroughly underwhelming and the League Two visitors deserved their lead.
Town weren’t far from getting back on terms in the 38th minute when Coke fed in Pitman on the left but the former Bournemouth man’s strike flew just the wrong side of Boro keeper Chris Day’s left post.
Two minutes later, Kenlock played in Tabb and the midfielder went similarly close, keeper Day this time touching the ball just wide.
In injury time the Blues threatened again, Touré crossing from the right and Pitman’s header striking a Stevenage defender.
Seconds before the break, Lee was booked for a foul on McGoldrick midway inside the Boro half. The Blues striker failed to find Tabb with a return pass from the freekick, a passage of play which summed up Town’s first-half performance.
The Blues had looked every bit a side featuring 10 changes from their regular line-up, although they probably should have got themselves back on terms towards the break.
While Stevenage’s goal was fortunate, the visitors might have gone in front before that having had the better of the earlier opportunities.
Ryan Fraser’s introduction for Touré at the start of the second half was little surprise, while Boro swapped Dale Gorman and Brett Williams for McAllister and Akinyemi.
Fraser was quickly into the action, sending in a cross from the right which was cleared before Kenlock was booked for a late tackle on sub Gorman as Stevenage broke.
The Blues began to put the visitors under pressure and in the 52nd minute Yorwerth twice went close from a corner on the left.
The Wales U21 international’s initial header was blocked and when the ball ran loose to him he lashed wildly over when he should have claimed a debut goal.
But the Blues continued to threaten, Pitman sweeping the ball wide to Fraser on 55 but the Scottish U21 international winger’s cross was cut out by Williams.
And from the corner Town got back on terms. Fraser sent the ball into the box and Yorwerth stooped to head home the debut goal he should have netted a few minutes earlier.
The Blues had been well on top after the break and pressed almost constantly for a second goal.
Stevenage’s veteran keeper Day first did brilliantly to get down to down to save Pitman’s header from Fraser’s delicate chip into the box on 63, then after Franks had been booked for a foul on Tabb the 40-year-old reacted quickly to superbly block McGoldrick’s point-blank header from Fraser’s corner on the right.
Pitman just failed to find Fraser with a delicate return flick as the two exchanged a one-two on the edge of the box on 70, then after a quickly taken freekick on the right Douglas shot into the side-netting.
Skipper Chambers almost put the icing on a superb Blues move in the 74th minute. Kenlock weaved his way past a number of Stevenage on midway played before finding Pitman. The striker moved the ball on to Fraser, who sent over a cross to the far post which Chambers headed back across goal but just past the post.
Town finally got their noses in front in the 77th minute. Pitman turned Fraser’s ball into the path of McGoldrick down the right flank. The Town number 10 cleverly took the ball past his man with his first touch, taking it inside and into the area before finding the unmarked Tabb at the far post, who tapped home.
Moments later debutant right-back Kenlock was replaced by Tommy Smith to warm applause, the 18-year-old looking like he was cramping up as he left the field.
McGoldrick’s deft flick sent Fraser away on the right but Tabb’s effort at the far post was easy for Day.
There was a scare for the Blues, who had dominated since half-time, in the 82nd minute when Stevenage appeared to have been awarded a penalty.
Parrett looked like he’d tripped over the ball as he broke into the area, causing the chasing Berra to lose his footing.
Referee Graham initially awarded a spot-kick, reacting to his linesman’s flag, but after consultation and some lobbying from Berra amongst others instead gave a drop ball inside the area, much to the chagrin of Boro boss Teddy Sheringham and his players.
As the game moved into injury time Town went close again, McGoldrick turning a volley against Day from Pitman’s chip.
The Irish international was thwarted by the one-time England U21 international keeper again moments later when his header from Tabb’s cross was stopped on the line. The loose ball fell to McGoldrick, who crossed to Tabb, who blazed over.
Referee Graham’s final whistle signalled some half-hearted further appeals from the Stevenage players but the official eventually appeared to have got the penalty decision right.
Having been poor in the first half, the Blues were excellent after the break with sub Fraser providing some much-needed inspiration and the Scotland U21 international, Pitman and McGoldrick were at the heart of most of Town’s best moments.
Town boss Mick McCarthy will have been delighted with the way his side improved in the second half after their poor first-half display and with his first cup victory as Blues manager.
The draw for the second round takes place on Sky Sports following the Doncaster-Leeds tie on Thursday evening.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Yorwerth, Berra, Kenlock (Smith 77), Coke, Douglas, Touré (Fraser 46), Tabb, McGoldrick, Pitman. Unused: Bialkowski, McDonnell, Benyu, Murphy, Sears.
Stevenage: Day, McCombe, Franks, Schumacher (c) (Conlon 78), Pett, McAllister (Gorman 46), Parrett, Wells, Akinyemi (Williams 46), Lee, Okimo. Unused: Jackson, Hughes, Casey, Johnson. Referee: Fred Graham (Stanford-le-Hope, Essex). Att: 10,449 (Stevenage: 388).