Luke Woolfenden (pictured), Danny Rowe and Ben Folami were on target as Town’s U23s held on to beat Sheffield United 3-2 at Portman Road, despite Bersant Celina missing a late penalty.
The visitors went closest to opening the scoring in an evenly balanced opening quarter of an hour with a header which was nodded wide at the near post.
But in the 15th minute Town took the lead via their first serious attempt on goal. Rowe sent over a corner from the right and Woolfenden stuck out a leg to divert the ball past Blades keeper Marcus Dewhurst to his left.
The visitors went close to an equaliser a minute later when defender Sam Graham headed over.
Soon after, Chris Smith was booked for impeding Dewhurst as he looked to clear the ball out quickly following a Town corner as rain began to fall heavily.
Then in the 27th minute Blades striker Jordan Hallam hit a low shot which fizzed across the wet turf, Michael Crowe doing well to save down to his right.
Blues striker Folami hit a low shot from distance which Dewhurst saved comfortably before Luke Hyam, playing the third U23 game as he returns from injury, got his name in the book for the latest in a succession of fouls.
On 35 Bersant Celina cut in from the left and hit a shot which deflected just over the bar, then four minutes later the Blues doubled their lead.
Folami beat Dewhurst to a ball played forward just outside the area on Town left. The Australian took the ball past the Blades keeper, then played inside to Ben Morris, who cut into the area before hitting a low cross to Rowe, who diverted home with the inside of his left heel.
Having secured their 2-0 lead the Blues grew in confidence and just before the half-time whistle Hyam struck a powerful volley from the edge of the area which rather fortunately deflected through to Dewhurst after Celina had cleverly picked him out with cross from the left.
The Blades went close two minutes after the restart, Hallam turning a bouncing ball not too far wide off a Town defender following a corner.
Crowe claimed the resultant flag-kick and threw it out quickly to Rowe, who brought it forward on the right before cutting across to Celina on the left from where he struck a low shot just wide.
Sheffield United pulled a goal back nine minutes after the restart, Graham heading a Hallam corner from the left into the ground and then the net despite Crowe’s valiant attempt to keep it out.
Adeyemi, who had put in a tidy and composed display in the centre of midfield in his first game of the season, was replaced by Adam McDonnell in the 61st minute in an evidently pre-planned change.
The Blades came close to an equaliser a minute later after Jake Bennett brought the ball forward from deep before hitting a low shot which deflected only just past Crowe’s right post.
The South Yorkshiremen were looking like they might get back on terms but on 68 Folami made it 3-1 to the Blues.
Rowe broke away and cut in from the right before feeding Folami who had run across him to his right. The Australian and Morris, who had made a similar run, almost got in one another’s way but the Sydney-born frontman turned the ball home off the keeper.
The two-goal lead lasted only seconds with the visitors pulling a goal back almost immediately. Crowe made two saves but was unable to stop a third effort from Oliver Greaves which also beat George Fowler on the line.
Hyam, who had put in a typically combative display, was replaced by James Blanchfield in the 71st minute, then four minutes later Bennett hit a low shot not too far wide of Crowe’s right post.
The Blades continued to look the more dangerous side, Hallam chesting a cross from the right across the face on 79, moments before Shane McLoughlin replaced Folami, who will have been happy with his goal and his role in Town’s second.
Seven minutes from time Hallam beat Crowe with a shot from the edge of the box but it cannoned down off the underside of the bar. Bennett was first to the loose ball but smashed well over from an angle on the right.
The Blades continued to press, main threat Hallam hitting a low shot through to Crowe, who had recovered after undergoing treatment having collided with a visitors’ attacker as he punched an earlier ball into the box.
The Town goal was under increasing pressure as the game moved into its final minutes. Crowe again saved from Hallam, then Fowler cleared the rebound off the line
The Blues had a golden chance to seal their second home win of the season in the final minute when Rowe, lively thoughout and a threat on the break, was tripped in the box after good work from Celina.
The Kosovo international took the kick and attempted a Panenka but appeared to lose his footing as he did so and the ball flew well over the bar and hit the stanchion holding up safety net behind the goal.
While one of the quirkier penalty misses - and one which will almost certainly do the rounds on social media - Celina would have deserved a goal for his work-rate as much as his skills during the 90 minutes.
Woolfenden tried to chip Dewhurst from distance during an increasingly frenetic final few minutes but the keeper got back to claim a ball which was looping wide in any case.
But it was the Blues’ goal under most pressure and in injury time Fowler turned a Bennett effort away from goal inside the six-yard box with Crowe beaten. However, the Town backline just about held on to claim the three points.
The Blues had looked comfortable in the first half at 2-0 but the Blades probably deserved a point on the strength of their second-half display with only some sharp saves from Crowe in difficult conditions for a keeper, some desperate defending and less than clinical finishing preventing them from taking something from the match.
U23s: Crowe, Woolfenden, Webber, Hyam (Blanchfield 71), Fowler, C Smith (c), Rowe, Adeyemi (McDonnell 61), Folami (McLoughlin 79), Celina, Morris. Subs: Clements, Wright, McLoughlin.
Sheffield United: Dewhurst, Bennett, Norrington-Davies, Ferguson, Graham, Cantrill, Gilmour, Doherty, Smith, Hallam, Greaves (Lawrence 83). Unused: Warhurst, Hawkes, Broadbent, Mason.