Alan Judge’s 43rd minute goal has given Town a 1-0 lead against Blackpool at Portman Road at half-time.
Skipper Luke Chambers and five-goal joint-top scorer Gwion Edwards dropped to the bench as manager Paul Lambert handed debuts to new loan signings Luke Matheson and Troy Parrott from the start.
Chambers, previously the Blues’ only ever-present in the league this season, last missed a game for which he was available in August 2019 when squad rotation saw him among the subs for the 2-1 home win against AFC Wimbledon.
The captain joined Edwards, Stephen Ward, who was also a sub for last week’s 1-1 at Crewe, on the bench with Matheson making his debut at right-back and Luke Woolfenden and Mark McGuinness the centre-halves. Myles Kenlock, at 24 the senior man in a back four with an average age of 21, continued at left-back, with Tomas Holy again in goal.
In midfield, Flynn Downes wore the captain’s armband with Andre Dozzell more advanced than usual and Judge ahead of him.
Freddie Sears moved to the left of the front three having started in the middle last week with Parrott the central striker and Luke Thomas on the right.
Josh Harrop was in a Town 18 for the first time having completed his 10-day self-isolation following his positive Covid-19 test which came soon after his loan move from Preston.
For Blackpool, ex-Town midfielder Grant Ward and ex-loanee Luke Garbutt were both on the bench having recently been out with injuries, while striker Gary Madine missed out on a place in the 18 due to a groin problem.
The Tangerines made one change from the team which beat Northampton 2-0 at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday with new loan signing Elliot Embleton, who came on as a sub for Sunderland in Town’s previous home match, coming in for Ellis Simms.
After the two teams and the officials had taken a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, Blackpool won an early free-kick from deep on the left which McGuinness cleared.
Rain was falling steadily, having been heavier in the hours up to the match, with an area of the pitch in front of the East of England Co-op Stand already starting to look waterlogged.
As the 10-minute mark approached the Blues briefly began to dominate possession with Parrott looking to make runs in behind the Blackpool defence. On nine Matheson sent over a cross from the right but was unable to pick out a team-mate.
In the 12th minute Woolfenden found Kenlock with a cross-field ball and the left-back fed Judge as he broke into the area and the Irishman hit a shot which Seasiders’ keeper and skipper Chris Maxwell palmed into the side-netting.
Blackpool began to see more of the ball and in the 16th minute Marvin Ekpiteta headed a free-kick from the left not too far wide wide at the back post. Six minutes later, Kenlock was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Jordan Gabriel.
The visitors were winning a lot of free-kicks midway inside the Town half on both flanks. From one of them in the 26th minute Sullay Kaikai looped a ball from the left towards the near post and James Husband diverted it well wide with his shoulder as he looked to add a flick which would have caused Holy in the Town goal significant problems.
Jordan Thorniley shot not too far wide from a corner in the 32nd minute, then two minutes later the Blues had their best opportunity of the half up to then.
Thomas should have seriously tested Maxwell when the ball was played low to him on the edge of the box as he broke forward on the right but the on-loan Barnsley man’s scuffed effort bobbled wide.
A minute later, Holy batted away Embleton’s 20-yard drive, then in the 39th minute the Blues had the ball in the net but with the linesman raising his flag. Parrott, who had had a lively half, played in Sears, who took the ball wide of the advancing Maxwell before slipping it home.
On 43 McGuinness cut out a Kaikai through ball which would have seen two visiting players through on goal and immediately Town broke up the other end and went in front.
Kenlock found Judge in space on the right with a cross-field pass and the Irishman brought the ball forward and rather than looking to pass to Parrott inside to his left struck a low 20-yard shot across the wet turf past Maxwell and into the net for his second goal of the season.
Just before the whistle, Kenneth Dougall screwed an effort well wide for the visitors, who could count themselves a little unlucky to be behind at the break.
The Blues had had spells on top but Maxwell hadn’t been significantly threatened prior to Judge’s goal, while the Seasiders had had the better of the game’s opportunities, albeit with Holy only forced into one save.
A rare half-time home lead for the Blues looking to improve their recent Portman Road form having lost six of their last seven.
Town: Holy, Matheson, Woolfenden, McGuinness, Kenlock, Dozzell, Downes (c), Judge, Thomas, Parrott, Sears. Subs: Cornell, Chambers, Ward, Edwards, Harrop, Drinan, Norwood.
Blackpool: Maxwell (c), Gabriel, Ekpiteta, Thorniley, Husband, Dougall, Stewart, Kaikai, Embleton, Virtue, Yates. Subs: Sims, Turton, Garbutt, Mitchell, Ward, Lubala, Simms. Referee: John Busby (Oxfordshire).