Town’s home game with Accrington Stanley remains 0-0 at the break.
Freddie Sears returned to the Town starting XI in place of Oli Hawkins in an otherwise unchanged side.
Hawkins, who has started the last three league games, missed out on a place in the 18 having almost certainly picked up a knock.
Sears started on the left of the front three with Gwion Edwards moving out to the right and Alan Judge playing as a false nine in the absence of out-and-out strikers Hawkins, James Norwood, Aaron Drinan and Kayden Jackson, who was also missing from the 18, presumably due to a fitness concern.
Myles Kenlock again started at left-back in the absence of Stephen Ward, who is still out with an achilles injury.
Jon Nolan was back after his calf problem and on the bench, alongside recent loan signings Mark McGuinness and Keanan Bennetts, and young striker Tyreece Simpson.
Accrington also made one change with defender Michael Nottingham handed his full debut following his recent move from Blackpool for forward Ryan Cassidy.
Ahead of kick-off, both teams took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter with the visitors hitting the first shot of the game in the third minute, Joe Pritchard’s effort from the edge of the box flying wide of Tomas Holy’s right post.
Town first threatened in the eighth minute when Judge broke away from his man on the right and sent over a cross but it was too close to Stanley keeper Toby Savin as Sears came in for it at the far post.
More of the early stages of the game had been played in Town’s half with Accrington seeing most of the ball.
But in the 14th minute they broke following a visitors attack and Judge played a great ball into the path of Sears who burst away from Mark Hughes to find himself one-on-one with Savin. However, the keeper was able to block. A minute later, Holy saved Matt Butcher’s low effort from the edge of the area.
There was a scare for the Blues, who were struggling to settle into their new system, in the 19th minute when Holy came well out of his goal to clear but the ball cannoned back off Andre Dozzell and Colby Bishop tried to hook it towards goal, but fortunately it ran harmlessly wide.
In the 25th minute Tariq Uwakwe curled a low free-kick goalwards which Holy did well to palm round his post low to his right. Following the resultant corner, the ball dropped for Pritchard but the midfielder volleyed wide.
On 28, Edwards did well down the right and sent over a low cross which the Stanley backline failed to clear, allowing Sears to hit a low shot which deflected behind off Hughes.
Town continued to miss the presence of focal point frontman Hawkins and all too often were guilty of giving the ball away in their own half.
On 40 Accrington skipper Seamus Conneely shot only just over from 25 yards. A minute later, Pritchard curled a strike over.
Accrington were on top as half-time approached and as the period moved into one additional minute, Conneely hit a deflected effort wide.
Town had toiled for much of the half, finding it hard going without the presence of an out-and-out central striker both when they were working their way forward and when forced to clear their lines by Accrington’s determined pressing with Holy’s long kicks invariably picked up by a visiting player.
Despite this, the Blues had had the best two chances of the half with Sears likely to feel he ought to have taken the first when sent through by Judge.
At the other end, despite much of the game being played in the Town half, Accrington had only really threatened via efforts from distance.
A Town change of system and the introduction of young striker Simpson at the break wouldn’t be a big surprise.
Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, Wilson, Kenlock, Dozzell, Huws, Bishop, Judge, Sears, Edwards. Subs: Cornell, Woolfenden, McGuinness, Nolan, Lankester, Bennetts, Simpson.
Accrington: Savin, Nottingham, Hughes, Burgess, Sykes, Butcher, Russell, Pritchard, Uwakwe, Bishop, Conneely (c). Subs: Baxter, Allen, Cassidy, Barclay, Rodgers, Scully, Mohammed. Referee: Robert Lewis (Shrewsbury).