David McGoldrick’s 34th minute penalty has give the Blues a 1-0 lead at half-time in their final game of the season at Derby County.
Boss Mick McCarthy made three changes to the side which beat the MK Dons last week with midfielder Adam McDonnell handed his league debut, skipper Luke Chambers returning at right-back and Bartosz Bialkowski back in goal. Kevin Bru and Josh Emmanuel dropped out of the squad, while Dean Gerken moved to the bench.
Irish U18 international McDonnell lined up alongside Cole Skuse in one of the two deeper midfield roles with Teddy Bishop starting his second game of the season ahead of them.
Myles Kenlock was again at left-back with Jonas Knudsen still out with a knee injury. McGoldrick started as the central striker with Liam Feeney and Freddie Sears to the right and left respectively.
Derby, who had already confirmed their place in the play-offs, named an unchanged team.
The Rams threatened for the first time within the opening minute, Craig Bryson getting away from Kenlock on the right of the area before hitting a shot which Bialkowski saved. Christophe Berra cleared the loose ball.
McGoldrick struck Town’s first shot against a defender in the fifth minute with the Rams having had the better of the opening minutes. On seven, Thomas Ince shot over from distance.
A minute later, McGoldrick poked a ball through to Sears on the left of the area and the striker hit a shot which Derby keeper Scott Carson palmed past his post.
George Thorne headed wide from a corner on 18 then, following a Blues freekick won when Will Hughes fouled Bishop, McGoldrick hit a powerful volley from just outside the area which caught a defender on its way wide.
Town weren’t far away from going in front in the 28th minute when McGoldrick fed Feeney wide on the right and the on-loan Bolton man sent over a low cross, which Carson mishandled to Bishop, who tried to stab towards goal but Shackell was able to block.
Just after the half hour skipper Chambers was booked for arguing with the referee about the positioning of a Derby freekick, which Chris Martin eventually sent the wrong side of the post.
But, despite the Rams having had opportunities, the Blues had looked more threatening the longer the half had gone on and in the 34th minute they went in front from the penalty spot.
Bishop skipped into the area on the left and Richard Keogh sent the midfielder flying with a wild challenge.
Referee Tim Robinson after some deliberation eventually pointed to the spot and was perhaps somewhat lenient in not showing Keogh, a one-time Town academy schoolboy and ballboy, a card of either colour with a red certainly not having been out of the question.
Ex-Nottingham Forest man McGoldrick stepped up and stroked his fifth goal of the season to Carson’s left to give the Blues the lead.
As Derby went about getting on terms McDonnell was booked for a late tackle on Thorne, although it was somewhat less of a foul than an earlier challenge the former Peterborough loanee had made on Bishop which had gone unpunished. Ince took the freekick, but Bialkowski was able to punch away to his left.
Russell shot over, then the Scotland international claimed a penalty when tackled by Kenlock but the Town youngster looked to have won the ball.
Keogh picked up card he really ought to have been shown earlier in the final scheduled minute of the half when he was booked for a foul on McGoldrick as his Republic of Ireland team-mate broke away from him midway inside the Derby half.
Moments before the whistle, a loose ball fell to Martin following a Rams freekick but as Skuse closed him down, the former Norwich striker blazed over.
Having weathered some early pressure from the home side, the Blues had got a foothold in the game, playing some decent stuff at times and were creating as many opportunities as the Rams by the time McGoldrick netted his penalty.
Bishop had made the type of break from midfield that the Blues have missed so much this season, although Keogh’s challenge was rash at best.
Debutant McDonnell hadn’t looked overawed, having made one or two solid tackles early on and passing neatly for the most part.
Derby County: Carson, Christie, Keogh (c), Shackell, Olsson, Thorne, Bryson, Hughes, Ince, Russell, Martin. Subs: Mitchell, Buxton, Hendrick, Bent, Butterfield, Blackman, Weimann.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Kenlock, Skuse, McDonnell, Bishop, Feeney, Sears, McGoldrick. Subs: Gerken, Digby, Hyam, Foley, Douglas, Varney, Pitman. Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex).