Macauley Bonne’s eighth goal of the season has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead over Accrington Stanley at the Wham Stadium.
Town boss Paul Cook named the same team which thrashed Doncaster 6-0 on Tuesday, while Kyle Edwards and Toto Nsiala returned to the 18 after injury.
On a slippery pitch following morning rain, Stanley saw most of the ball in the early minutes but on five Bersant Celina threaded a ball through for Bonne but Accrington keeper Toby Savin was out quickly to clear.
The home side continued to have most of the possession but on nine Bonne chased a ball down the middle which Savin sent straight up in the air as he sought to clear. The striker got his head on the ball as the keeper tried to punch clear but it looped well over. At the other end, home skipper Sean McConville blazed well over from outside the box.
On 15, following the Blues’ first real spell of possession of the afternoon, Wes Burns intercepted an under-hit Stanley pass midway inside their half and fed Bonne to his right but the Zimbabwean international’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.
Chances had been non-existent at both ends but on 26 Evans played a ball through for Bonne which skipped off the surface through to Savin. On a drier pitch the striker would have reached it before the keeper.
The game continued in the same pattern with both sides having spells on the ball but without finding a way into the final third.
However, in the 38th minute, the Blues went ahead via the only serious chance of the first half.
Scott Fraser intercepted a David Morgan pass down the Accrington right and tried to find Bonne. The ball was stabbed back to the former MK Dons man by Michael Nottingham and the Scot turned it into Celina, who played into the path of Bonne on the left of the area and the on-loan QPR man confidently stroked past the advancing Savin to claim his eighth goal of the season.
The striker from Chantry wasn’t too far away from his ninth in the 40th minute when he was allowed to take down a long kick from Vaclav Hladky but his first touch took it just too far away from him and Savin was able to gather.
Bonne attempted to replicate his last-gasp goal against Sheffield Wednesday as the Stanley striker prepared to kick but Savin spotted him and the two shared laugh.
Neither side threatened again before a busy if not overly entertaining half was brought to a close.
Bonne’s well-crafted and confidently finished goal had been the only real chance during a half in which both sides had struggled to show the guile to find a way through the opposition.
As so often, the next goal will be key and a Town second would appear to be enough to put the game out of the home side’s reach.
Accrington: Savin, Sherring, Hamilton, Butcher, Pell, Bishop, McConville, Nottingham, Conneely (c), Morgan, Amankwah. Subs: Trafford, O'Sullivan, Leigh, Mansell, Nolan, Clark, Malcolm.
Town: Hladky, Donacien, Edmundson, Burgess, Penney, Evans, Morsy (c), Burns, Celina, Fraser, Bonne. Subs: Holy, Nsiala, Harper, Aluko, Chaplin, Edwards, Norwood. Referee: Martin Coy (Durham).