Town returned to winning ways and to the top of League One after defeating Southend United 3-1 at Roots Hall. James Norwood put the Blues in front on seven and added the second in the 70th minute, before Kayden Jackson made it 3-0 six minutes later and Emile Acquah pulled back a late consolation for the Shrimpers on 83.
Boss Paul Lambert made five changes for the second game running with Will Norris handed his Blues league debut in goal.
Tomas Holy dropped to the bench, while Luke Woolfenden was back at the centre of the defence alongside skipper Luke Chambers in a 4-4-2 system. Kane Vincent-Young and Luke Garbutt were the full-backs.
Flynn Downes returned to the midfield after his hip injury alongside Cole Skuse with Gwion Edwards on the left and Danny Rowe on the right.
Norwood was back up front alongside Jackson. In addition to Holy, James Wilson, Jon Nolan, Emyr Huws and Will Keane all moved to the bench having started the 2-0 defeat to Rotherham in the week.
Southend, with new manager Sol Campbell and assistant coach Blues legend Hermann Hreidarsson in charge of the first time, made three changes from the team which lost 7-1 at home to Doncaster in midweek.
Rob Kiernan and Stephen Humphrys come in for the suspended Ethan Hamilton and Stephen McLaughlin, while keeper Mark Oxley returned in place of Nathan Bishop. They started in a 3-4-1-2 system.
Ex-Blues midfielder Luke Hyam was on the bench, while one-time Town academy schoolboy Nathan Ralph starts.
In steady rain, home fans thought they’d witnessed the first goal of the Campbell era in only the fourth minute when Kiernan headed Hutchinson’s freekick from the right past Norris, however, the linesman’s flag had been raised.
But four minutes later, the Blues, wearing their Barcelona-esque away kit, took the lead with their first serious attack.
Jackson deftly turned a long ball forward into the path of Norwood in between the defenders and keeper, and the Blues’ number 10 was first to it and slipped it past Oxley to his right.
The former Tranmere man celebrated his sixth goal of the campaign, and his first since the Shrewsbury match in August seven games ago. Online, another of the striker’s wrestling celebrations was unleashed.
8' GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!
Norwood smashes into the bottom corner. Get in! pic.twitter.com/8iGsRA9Dw8– Ipswich Town FC (@IpswichTown) October 26, 2019
Downes was booked for a foul on Tom Hopper on halfway in the 10th minute. The midfielder will now miss the Rochdale game in 10 days’ time as he has amassed five yellow cards already this season.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 15th minute when Elvis Bwomono sent over a low ball which Hopper and Humphrys were unable to reach.
A minute later, there was a mix-up between Oxley and two of his defenders just outside the area and the ball was mis-cleared to Rowe 35 yards out. However, the winger scuffed his effort at goal well wide.
Rowe went closer in the 21st minute, cutting on to his left foot on the edge of the box and hitting a low shot which Oxley claimed at the second attempt.
Town were forced into a change in the 28th minute when Skuse, who had received treatment a few minutes earlier, was replaced by Nolan.
Nolan immediately made an impact, the sub hitting a low shot from distance just after the half hour which Oxley saved but couldn’t hold. Jackson was first to the loose ball but was only able to smash it against the keeper and the danger was cleared.
Norwood stuck an effort on the turn from a Norris long kick in the 34th minute but he was too far out to seriously test the keeper.
On 38 Humphrys joined Downes in the referee’s book for a late challenge on Edwards.
Two minutes before the scheduled end of the half, Jackson saw a shot deflected wide. From the corner, Woolfenden’s header was nodded out by Hopper.
Town went even closer from the subsequent flag-kick, again sent in by Garbutt. Norwood headed powerfully into the six-yard box from beyond the far post and Chambers nodded wide.
The Blues had dominated the final minutes of the half and might have added to their lead.
After the early scare of the disallowed goal, Town got their noses in front and were largely comfortable from there without playing particularly fluidly in a game which was a typical League One battle for the most part.
Southend had rarely looked like getting on terms and another goal in the second half ought to be enough to win it for the Blues.
The restart was delayed due to a change of fourth official with a supporter taking over in the technical area.
Three minutes after the half started Jackson was booked for a foul on Isaac Hutchinson as the Shrimpers broke.
Simon Cox saw a powerful shot blocked on the edge of the Town box on 54 as Southend made a promising start to the second half.
However, on 57 Garbutt wasn’t too far away from making it 2-0 to the Blues with a 25-yard freekick which hit the side-netting.
Town were forced into another change in the 59th minute when Vincent-Young was replaced by Wilson. The ex-Colchester man looked frustrated as he left the field, the injury appearing a recurrence of his recent groin problem.
Woolfenden moved to right-back, a role he played regularly during his time in the academy and on loan at Bromley.
The Blues felt they might have been awarded a penalty in the 63rd minute when Edwards and went to ground under the attention of a Southend defender but referee Davies instead gave a freekick to the home side.
On 65 Cox almost played in Humphrys on the edge of the area but Garbutt did well to get in a toe and Wilson cleared the danger. Three minutes later, Alan Judge took over from Rowe.
Edwards almost added a second for the Blues in the 69th minute turning his man, then brought it in from the left and hit a low shot just past Oxley’s left post. Moments later, the Shrimpers swapped Hopper for Acquah.
The 2,450-strong Town support didn’t have to wait too much longer for a second goal. In the 70th minute the ball broke for Jackson on the left, he brought it to the byline and cut it back to Norwood, who turned home his second of the game and his seventh of the season.
Cox was booked for a lunge on Wilson, which might well have warranted more than just a caution before the Blues made it 3-0 in the 76th minute.
Following a corner, Nolan struck a shot from just outside the area which Oxley once again failed to hold. Jackson was quickest to react and slammed it low under the keeper and into the net for his seventh of the campaign.
Norris was forced into his first serious save of the afternoon in the 80th minute, the on-loan Wolves man doing well to come off his line to block from Humphrys.
Soon after, Judge shot wide with the Blues continuing to look for goals, despite their comfortable lead.
But in the 83rd minute Southend pulled a goal back. Ex-Blues’ youngster Ralph crossed deep from the left and sub Acquah bundled the ball home at the far post.
In injury time, Nolan flicked a header well wide from a Jackson cross from the right, then Demetriou shot wide from distance for the home team.
Having been the better side before the break and got their lead, the Blues withstood an improved display from the Shrimpers in the early stages of the second and then sealed the victory with two goals in six minutes via the impressive and hard-working Norwood and Jackson. From there, the result was never in any doubt despite Acquah’s late goal.
The Blues are back at the top of the table, albeit on goal difference from Wycombe, who won 1-0 at Rotherham. Peterborough in third are two points behind having rescued a late 2-2 draw at Coventry. Town have a game in hand on both the Chairboys and Posh.
Town are next in action a week on Tuesday at Rochdale, expelled Bury having been scheduled to play at Portman Road next Saturday.
Southend: Oxley, Kiernan, Dieng, Shaughnessy, Bwomono, Milligan (Demetriou 84), Hutchinson, Ralph, Cox, Hopper (Acquah 71), Humphrys. Unused: Bishop, Hyam, Goodship, Taylor, Rush.
Town: Norris, Vincent-Young (Wilson 59), Woolfenden, Chambers (c), Garbutt, Skuse (Nolan 28), Downes, Rowe (Judge 68), Edwards, Norwood, Jackson. Unused: Holy, Georgiou, Huws, Keane. Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire). Att: 8,632 (Town: 2,450).