The Blues’ home game with Middlesbrough remains 0-0 at the break with Town having had the better of the first half.
Town named an unchanged XI but with David McGoldrick returning to the bench after recovering from his groin injury.
Winger Tommy Oar missed out on a place amongst the subs having picked up a knock in training, while Adam McDonnell replaced Joe Robinson in the 18. Former Blues skipper Grant Leadbitter started and skippered the Teessiders.
The game got under way but was very quickly halted when Ainsley Maitland-Niles required treatment for a head injury after George Friend arrived late as they went for the same aerial ball.
Town, playing a 4-4-2 formation with Freddie Sears on the left, threatened for the first time in the fifth minute when Maitland-Niles cut the ball across from the right to the former Colchester man, whose shot from a tight angle at the near post was blocked by Adam Clayton.
There was a big scare for the Blues following the resultant corner when Cole Skuse inadvertently found Stewart Downing with a pass back towards Chambers on halfway. Fortunately for Town the Blues skipper held his ground and blocked the former England international’s shot.
Brett Pitman hit a low strike which Boro keeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos claimed without trouble in the ninth minute, then at the other end Dean Gerken was similarly unruffled by Blues nemesis David Nugent’s first effort of the game.
On 14 the Teessiders broke quickly down the left, Albert Adomah crossed and Christian Stuani volleyed into the ground and into Gerken’s arms from a tight angle on the right.
The Blues first seriously tested Konstatopoulos in the 23rd minute when Pitman sent Daryl Murphy away on the right. The Irish international chased the ball to the byline then played it back to the ex-Bournemouth man, who hit a powerful shot from the edge of the area which the Boro keeper palmed away.
Town went close again on 28 when Pitman crossed from the left to the far post to Chambers, but Konstantopoulos reacted quickly to block his header and then paw the ball behind as the Blues captain looked to get to the rebound.
Boro defender Ben Gibson picked up the game’s first yellow card for pulling back Pitman midway inside the visitors’ half five minutes before the break. The Blues striker took the freekick himself but shot well over.
Neither side created another chance before referee Tim Robinson brought the half to an end.
Town were warmly applauded off having had the better of their second-placed opponents and the best of the game’s few chances.
Boro keeper Konstantopoulos had done well to stop Pitman’s strike and Chambers’s header, while at the other end the Town defence had prevented David Nugent from being able to add to his 14 goals in 13 games against the Blues and his nine in seven at Portman Road, athough the visitors had looked a threat on the break.
Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Maitland-Niles, Douglas, Sears, Murphy, Pitman. Subs: Bialkowski, Malarczyk, Parr, Tabb, Coke, McDonnell, McGoldrick.
MIddlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Nsue, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (c), Clayton, Stuani, Downing, Adomah, Nugent. Subs: Mejias, Amorebieta, Kike, Kalas, Fabbrini, Forshaw, Zuculini. Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).