Conor Chaplin scored a hat-trick and Matt Penney, Tommy Hughes, Freddie Ladapo and Greg Leigh netted one each as the Blues hammered Needham Market 7-0 in their first pre-season friendly at Bloomfields.
Dom Ball made his first appearance in a Town shirt as part of the XI fielded in the first half of a game played in two 30-minute halves.
Ball was in the centre of midfield alongside Cameron Humphreys with Janoi Donacien at right-back, Penney at left-back and Luke Woolfenden and Corrie Ndaba the centre-halves. Christian Walton was in goal.
Tawanda Chirewa and Kyle Edwards were the widemen with skipper Sone Aluko behind lone striker Joe Pigott.
With Mark Steed, the chief investment officer of Arizona’s Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, the pension fund which owns a 90 per cent stake in Blues owner Gamechanger 20, watching the team live for the first time, Ball won an early corner after his first minute shot from the edge of the box was deflected behind.
In the ninth minute, home keeper Marcus Garnham did well to get down to his right to save Pigott’s low shot from just outside the area after good work from Chirewa.
Three minutes later, skipper Aluko curled a free-kick to Garnham’s left which the keeper may have got his fingertips to before it came back off the post and was cleared.
On 14, a corner was played short to Chirewa on the left and the forward cut inside a defender before hitting a low shot which Garnham palmed into the side-netting.
There was a scare for the Blues a minute later when Needham youngster Seth Chambers momentarily found some space breaking towards the area but Woolfenden came across to block his path.
In the 18th minute Town finally took the lead. Edwards brought the ball into the area on the right and having stumbled laid it across to Penney on the other side of the box, who stroked past Garnham.
Two minutes later, the former Sheffield Wednesday man almost had a second, Edwards again having done well on the right and cut across.
Edwards created another opportunity on 25, cutting back from the right to Pigott, who scuffed his effort to Garnham.
In the 27th minute Aluko skipped his way through a number of defenders on his way into the area before hitting a low shot across Garnham but beyond the post.
That was the last action of the first 30 minutes in which Town had unsurprisingly dominated and had created numerous chances, despite scoring the one goal with Edwards having been the standout performer.
In the second half, Vaclav Hladky was in goal with Cameron Burgess joined by Rekeem Harper at the centre of the defence. Idris El Mizouni was at right-back, a role he operated in as an academy player, with new signing Leigh on the left.
Lee Evans and captain Sam Morsy were in the centre of midfield with Hughes, Chaplin and Kane Vincent-Young the three behind lone striker Freddie Ladapo, who was making his first appearance in a Town shirt.
Recent loan signing from Arsenal Tyreece John-Jules was absent along with Wes Burns and Elkan Baggott, who have been given additional time away having been on international duty and Kayden Jackson and George Edmundson, who aren’t yet ready to return after their injuries at the end of last season.
Just over a minute after the restart, Tommy Hughes blazed over after exchanging passes with Leigh on the left.
Less than a minute later, Hughes was on target, Vincent-Young cut back from the right and Hughes hit a low shot through Garnham and into the net.
On 37, Ladapo was unable to get enough on Vincent-Young’s cross from the left and the ball flew wide.
El Mizouni wasn’t far away from Town’s third in the 41st minute, the Tunisia international hitting a 25-yard strike towards the top corner which Garnham did well to palm over the bar.
Six minutes later, Ladapo exchanged passes with Hughes before shooting wide from a promising position under pressure.
A minute later, Chaplin made it 3-0 when he fired his first home from eight yards after Morsy had helped on a Leigh cross from the left.
Immediately after the kick-off Town made it four, Ladapo deftly chipping the Needham sub keeper to claim his first goal for the Blues.
Evans made way after playing 22 minutes in what looked to be a planned substitution. Albie Armin took over, going to centre-half with Harper moving into midfield.
In the 54th minute it was five, Hughes from the right and Chaplin headed home his second of the afternoon.
After a low Morsy shot had been deflected wide, Leigh made it 6-0 when he tapped home at the far post from El Mizouni’s right-sided cross.
In injury time, Chaplin made it seven with his third of the game, the ball clipping the wall on its way into the net.
Seconds later, the referee’s whistle ended a comfortable victory for the Blues who dominated Needham, who started pre-season training this week and have lost a number of last season’s regulars, from start to finish of both halves.
Chaplin will be pleased with his hat-trick and Ladapo, Leigh and youngster Hughes will be particularly pleased to have got their pre-seasons off to a goalscoring start, while Edwards and Vincent-Young respectively were an ever-present danger on the right.
The game was followed by penalty shoot-outs simultaneously at both ends before a signing session with the Blues players.
Town first half XI: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Ndaba, Penney, Ball, Humphreys, Chirewa, Aluko (c), Edwards, Pigott.
Town second half: Hladky, El Mizouni, Leigh, Harper, Burgess, Morsy (c), Evans (Armin 22), Vincent-Young, Chaplin, Hughes, Ladapo.