Freddie Sears netted his first goal for four months as the Blues drew 1-1 with Leeds United at Portman Road. The striker turned home Grant Ward’s right-wing cross in the ninth minute but Stuart Dallas equalised against the run of play on 42 with Town having much the better of the chances in the second half, David McGoldrick going closest to winning it when he hit the bar.
Sears, Christophe Berra and Cole Skuse returned to the Town side facing Leeds, while skipper Luke Chambers started despite suffering a cracked rib during Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Brighton on Tuesday.
The Blues continued with their 3-5-2 system with Berra in the middle of the back three with Chambers on the right and Jonas Knudsen on the left.
Josh Emmanuel dropped to the bench with Jordan Spence moving to right wing-back.
In midfield, Cole Skuse replaced Toumani Diagouraga, who was unavailable against his parent club, while Sears took over from the suspended Tom Lawrence up front alongside McGoldrick.
Tommy Smith was back on the bench for the first time since undergoing back surgery in September. Leeds made one change with Dallas replacing Kemar Roofe wide on the left.
On a Portman Road pitch showing signs of wear and tear, the visitors started on the front foot but without creating an opportunity and on nine the Blues went ahead with their first attack of the match.
Emyr Huws, sporting a bandage having had stitches to a head wound at Brighton, won the ball midway inside the Leeds half on the left. The Wales international brought it across field before feeding Ward on the right, who sent over a cross which Sears steered home on the volley
It was the returning striker’s third goal of the season and his first since October 29th.
The Blues began to probe for a second, Sears quickly won a corner on the left having been sent away by a clever McGoldrick flick, then on 16 Ward caught a dawdling defender in possession not too far outside the area and hit a shot which flew just over Rob Green’s bar.
Town almost went two in front in the 27th minute when, following a corner, Huws brought the ball in from the right and cut a low ball across the six-yard box towards Knudsen only inches out, but somehow a defender managed to deflect his effort at goal over.
From the resultant corner, Huws whipped in a dangerous ball which Green was forced to paw over from under his bar.
The Blues continued to dominate and just after the half hour Spence sent over a cross from the right which McGoldrick nodded behind from a difficult angle.
Leeds full-back Luke Ayling wasted a rare visitors break in the 32nd minute, cutting the ball back behind all his team-mates having escaped on the right.
The Whites had hardly been in it after the Town goal but in the 42nd minute they got back on terms.
Hadi Sacko sent over a deep cross from the right, which Chris Wood flicked on towards the far post. The otherwise excellent Spence got caught facing the wrong way as the ball came across and Stuart Dallas nipped in behind him and somehow slipped home between Bartosz Bialkowski and the post.
The Blues were unable to carve out an opportunity to restore their lead before the half-time whistle was greeted by warm applause from the home supporters after impressive half from Town.
Having made a sluggish start, the Blues - with Frans Thijssen and Arnold Muhren watching from the directors’ box - scored their very well-worked goal.
From there Town, with Huws again the standout performer, dominated the half with Knudsen’s chance the Blues’ best opportunity to extend their lead. The late Leeds goal came from their first serious attack and came very much against the run of play.
Leeds switched Ronaldo Vieira for Liam Bridcutt for the second half, which the Blues started brightly.
Neither side had created a serious chance, although with Leeds having had most of the ball, before Kevin Bru replaced Skuse, who had missed the previous two games with an achilles injury, on the hour.
On 64 Sears got in behind the Leeds defence on the right from a McGoldrick flick but Pontus Jansson slid in to cut out the striker’s low ball across the box towards his partner up front.
From the corner, the Blues went very close to restoring their lead. Huws’s ball in from the right dropped to McGoldrick who chipped on the turn over Green but off the bar. Berra was first to the rebound but could only nod into Green’s arms.
Town continued to press and on 66 McGoldrick hit a freekick from 25 yards out into the Leeds wall.
The Blues went close again four minutes later when Bru chipped a freekick into the box, the ball was knocked down into the six-yard area and a defender somehow got a touch when McGoldrick seemed certain to tap home from inches out.
Town kept pressing, McGoldrick found Sears with a cross from the right but the West Ham man’s effort from a very tight angle was blocked. Sears quickly won the ball back again a fed Ward, whose effort was blocked.
But the Blues continued to create chances, Ward almost finding McGoldrick with a clever cross from the left which a defender turned behind. From the corner, Green punched poorly but no Town player was able to get onto the ball.
Leeds switched Sacko for Modou Barrow on 77, then a minute later the Blues went near to going back in front again when McGoldrick found Sears on the left with an excellent pass. The former Colchester man then crossed to the Irish international, who hit a low shot which Green did well to save down to his left.
With nine minutes left on the clock Teddy Bishop replaced the tiring Huws in the Town midfield with nine minutes.
On 85 Knudsen was booked for hauling back Barrow and while the Whites prepared to take the freekick they swapped Wood for Souleymane Doukara.
As the match moved into its final scheduled minutes Leeds were having a lot of the ball without doing anything with it with the Blues looking more dangerous when they broke forward. On 89 Bru screwed a shot well wide from distance.
Kieffer Moore replaced the again excellent McGoldrick as the game moved into two minutes of injury time but the winning goal Town would have deserved never came.
The Blues were given a warm ovation by their supporters at the final whistle after another impressive performance against another side from the Championship’s upper reaches.
Town created plenty of chances in the second half, while Leeds had a lot of the ball but with Bialkowski not forced into making a save after the break with Berra keeping Wood in check.
Huws was again impressive in midfield, while McGoldrick's excellent display was missing only a goal, but there were excellent performances throughout a Town side which is growing in confidence.
The two draws in a few days ends the Blues' run of matches without recording the same result in successive matches at 29, a new club record.
The Blues remain 13th - 11 points from relegation and 17 from the play-offs - ahead of next week's East Anglian derby at Norwich, who lost 2-1 at Burton Albion today.
Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Chambers (c), Berra, Knudsen, Kenlock, Skuse (Bru 60), Ward, Huws (Bishop 81), McGoldrick (Moore 90), Sears. Unused: Gerken, Emmanuel, Smith, Pitman.
Leeds: Green, Ayling, Bartley (c), Jansson, Beradi, Vieira (Bridcutt 46), O’Kane, Sacko (Barrow 77), Hernandez, Dallas, Wood (Doukara 86). Unused: Silverstri, Cooper, Roofe, Pedraza. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire). Att: 18,745 (Leeds: 2,113).