A brilliant Brett Pitman overhead kick four minutes from time against his old club saw Town to a 2-1 victory over Bristol City at Portman Road. Kevin Bru gave the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead, but the Robins hit back through Tammy Abraham seven minutes after the restart before Pitman’s superb strike sealed a much-needed home win for Town.
Boss Mick McCarthy made four changes to his side with Bru, Myles Kenlock, Grant Ward and David McGoldrick all starting, while Jonas Knudsen, Freddie Sears and Andre Dozzell dropped to the bench and Jonathan Douglas was left out of the 18.
Town, operating in a 4-4-2 system, started brightly but had been unable to create a chance before Josh Brownhill hit a bouncing freekick through to Bartosz Bialkowski in the 12th minute, which the Blues keeper claimed comfortably.
On 15 Pitman skinned his man on the right but his low cross was cut out ahead of McGoldrick.
A minute later, a freekick on the Town right was cleared out to Kenlock, who sent in a cross, which Pitman stabbed to McGoldrick as the visitors’ defence hesitated. The Irish international curled his shot wide as Pitman claimed he’d been fouled.
Robins striker Tammy Abraham broke through on goal in the 17th minute but Town skipper Luke Chambers got across to muscle the on-loan Chelsea man off the ball as he looked to shoot.
Grant Ward, who had made a lively start to the game, sent McGoldrick away on the right of the box in the 19th minute but the Blues’ number 10 shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.
Brownhill shot through to Bialkowski three minutes later, but Town were still on top, however without having been able to carve out the opening which might lead to a goal.
The Blues continued to dominate as the game reached the 30-minute mark with Bristol City unable to get out of their half. However, crosses were being cleared before they reached Town players, while a Bru shot smashed into a defender.
But in the 39th minute the Blues went in front. Following a corner on the left, Webster won the ball midway inside the Robins half and played a clever pass ahead of Lawrence on the left of the area. The on-loan Leicester man took a touch before sending in a cross which Bru turned into the net at the near post, the Mauritius international’s first goal of the season.
Bristol City quickly looked to hit back but Lee Tomlin’s shot was blocked by Chambers having been found by Abraham.
The goal forced the visitors into a more attacking outlook but they were unable to force any further openings before the break, while Town made a couple of potentially dangerous forays forward on the counter-attack which ultimately came to nothing.
Two minutes before the end of the half Pitman was booked for a push on Robins defender Hordur Magnusson.
The Blues deserved their half-time lead having dominated, passing the ball around patiently in midfield in spells. However, until Bru’s well-worked goal it had looked like the half might end goalless with few chances having been created.
At the other end, Bialkowski dealt with a couple of difficult bouncing balls from distance, but otherwise had been untroubled by what had been a poor Bristol City side.
The Robins made two changes ahead of the second half with Taylor Moore and Joe Bryan taking over from Mark Little and Scott Golbourne.
The visitors started the half brightly and three minutes after the restart Luke Freeman, scorer of a superb volley in the game at Ashton Gate, beat Kenlock on the Blues’ left and hit a shot which Berra diverted wide.
The Robins kept Town pinned in their own half and in the 52nd minute it came. Sub Bryan crossed from the left, Berra collided with Bialkowski as the Blues keeper sought to claim the ball and Abraham stabbed home his 15th goal of the season.
Town looked to hit back immediately, Ward heading to Robins keeper Fielding after Berra had nodded Lawrence’s freekick back into the box after it had been punched to the back of the area. Soon after, Brownhill was booked for a foul as Ward broke.
Having made a slow start to the half and lost their lead, the Blues were struggling to reassert their earlier dominance but just before the hour Marlon Pack inadvertently sent a right-wing cross looping off his own cross-bar. Pitman reached the loose ball first but his overhead kick was easy for Fielding.
On 66 Callum O’Dowda replaced Magnusson for the visitors, the Icelander having suffered a hamstring injury.
Two minutes later, McGoldrick fed Ward down the right and the former Spurs man moved the ball on to Lawrence, who hit a well-struck shot which was too close to Fielding.
The Blues made their first change in the 72nd minute with Dozzell replacing goalscorer Bru.
On 74 Abraham turned and shot over for the visitors, but the Blues began to get back on top with Dozzell making an immediate impact making two incisive passes which led to Town chances.
First Lawrence broke to the edge of the area and hit a shot which Fielding saved, then Webster brought the ball forward from deep and hit an effort which deflected wide.
From the resultant corner Town claimed a penalty for handball but referee David Coote wasn’t interested. Soon after Sears took over from Ward.
The Blues continued to press and another clever Dozzell pass found Pitman, who turned the ball inside the Sears, who was breaking in on goal. A mix-up between Fielding and his defenders allowed the Town sub to get on the ball with the keeper out of his ground but his shot on the turn was blocked by Robins.
Moments later, Sears was fed by Kenlock on the left and stabbed at goal but without troubling Fielding, then seconds later Pitman cut it back to the former West Ham man from the right but the ball hit the striker on his standing leg and bounced out of play.
Town kept up the pressure and Dozzell found McGoldrick with another excellent pass but the Blues number 10 shot wide.
The home side had created enough opportunities to reclaim their lead and when the second goal finally came what a goal it was.
Sears was sent away down the right by Lawrence and sent over a deep cross to Pitman at the far post, from where the former Robins striker smashed a brilliant overhead kick into the net, the Jersey-born frontman’s fourth goal of the season.
McGoldrick was swapped for Luke Varney with a minute of scheduled time remaining and the Blues saw out the additional minutes with little trouble - aside Lawrence picking up a booking for a foul on O'Dowda - to record an important home win.
Having gained a deserved lead in the first half, the Blues surrendered the impetus by conceding a bad goal, as they have on so many occasions this season.
But they gradually got themselves back on top with Dozzell making a huge difference when he came on, the 17-year-old making the most significant impression of his senior career so far.
The winning goal when it came was worthy of winning any game and will have particularly delighted Pitman coming as it did against his former club, who have now lost eight of their last nine.
The win moves the Blues up to 16th with few Championship sides in action this evening, now only two points behind Norwich, who play Brentford tomorrow.
On Monday Town travel to take on QPR, who have lost their last six and face Wolves at Molineux tomorrow.
Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Webster, Berra, Kenlock, Skuse, Ward (Sears 78), Lawrence, Bru (Dozzell 72), McGoldrick (Varney 89), Pitman. Unused: Gerken, Emmanuel, Knudsen, Best.
Bristol City: Fielding, Little (Moore 46), Flint, Magnusson (O’Dowda 66), Golbourne (Bryan 46), Freeman, Brownhill, Pack, Tomlin, Wilbraham (c), Abraham. Unused: O’Donnell, Paterson, Reid, Engvall. Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire). Att: 15,640 (Bristol City: 470).