Freddie Ladapo and Conor Chaplin both netted a first-half brace as the Blues beat Morecambe 4-0 at Portman Road to make up ground in the League One promotion race. Ladapo gave the Blues the lead in only the 52nd second, then made it 2-0 on 16 before Chaplin added goals three and four in the 38th minute and in first-half injury time.
Harry Clarke and Nathan Broadhead were handed their full debuts as boss Kieran McKenna made five changes from the team which was beaten 2-1 at Oxford on Saturday.
Clarke, who joined last week from Arsenal, came into the side in Janoi Donacien’s right-sided role with Richard Keogh and George Edmundson joining him at the back with Cameron Burgess and Luke Woolfenden left out of the 18.
Broadhead was one of the number 10s alongside Chaplin and Ladapo returned as the central striker.
George Hirst dropped to the bench along with Donacien and Marcus Harness, while Kyle Edwards and Cameron Humphreys returned as substitutes having been left out entirely on Saturday with Massimo Luongo and Sone Aluko dropping out of the squad with the Nigerian international watching the game with the Town analysts in front of the press box.
Morecambe make one change from their most recent fixture, the 2-1 win at home to Cheltenham on January 7th with last season’s 23-goal top scorer Cole Stockton, who had been out with a hamstring injury, coming in for former loanee Kieran Phillips, who has returned to his parent club Huddersfield.
Town went in only the game’s 52nd second. Wes Burns won a corner on the right and Leif Davis sent the ball over. Farrend Rawson headed against the grounded Jacob Bedeau, who had tripped as the flag-kick came over, and Ladapo gleefully smashed into the net.
Morecambe weren’t far away from levelling two minutes after going behind. A free-kick from midway inside the Town half on the left reached an unmarked Caleb Watts but Edmundson and Keogh both slid in to block, the former Rangers man in front of the ex-Republic of Ireland international.
The frenetic start continued and on five Ladapo did well on the left of the area before Broadhead unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box which Shrimps skipper Connor Ripley did well to get to his right to save.
Within a minute, Town had gone even closer to a second, Lee Evans picking up the ball midway inside the Morecambe half before slamming a strike against the outside of Ripley’s right post.
The Blues continued to dominate and look for openings and in the 11th minute Burns cut from the right in to Chaplin, who worked himself space but saw his shot blocked.
But Town didn’t have to wait too long to double their lead. In the 16th minute, almost immediately after a stoppage for an injury to Watts, Broadhead played in Ladapo on the right of the area, cleverly putting the ball on the outside of Bedeau as the striker burst past him on the other.
The former Rotherham man hit a shot across Ripley, the ball struck the inside of one post and bounced across goal before hitting the inside of the net on the other to take Ladapo’s tally for the season to 13.
The Blues, who had been well in control even before their second goal, went after more goals, Clarke winning a corner on 19 after his shot was deflected wide off a defender.
Town maintained their dominance, despite one or two slightly shaky moments in their own half, and on 27 skipper Sam Morsy struck a shot against a Morecambe defender on the edge of the box.
On the half hour, the Blues struggled to get the ball out of their area but the Shrimps were unable to get a clean shot at goal and Adam Mayor’s effort was eventually charged down by Clarke, who followed the ball out and made a strong but fair challenge on Ryan Delaney, which left the one-time Town trialist requiring treatment.
In the 34th minute, Ladapo wasn’t too far away from his hat-trick. Evans found Burns just outside the area and the wideman played a clever ball in for Clarke on the right of the box, from where the new signing cut back to the striker, whose effort was blocked.
Three minutes later, Edmundson rose highest to head goalwards but too close to Ripley, who claimed.
But in the 38th minute, Town did make it 3-0. Burns was sent away on the right by Morsy, cut in and laid back to Chaplin, who a low and hard first-time effort just inside of the post.
Two minutes after the third goal, Broadhead almost played Ladapo in on goal again but Rawson stuck out a foot to cut out his pass.
Within a minute, Clarke tricked his way past his man on the right of the box before sending a ball across the six-yard box but with no one able to get on the end of it.
Edmundson headed over from another corner on 43 as the Blues continued to chase goals despite their already significant advantage.
In the final scheduled minute, ahead of six additional minutes, Ladapo laid the ball off to Broadhead, who hit a low shot from the edge of the area which Ripley saved and was able to grab hold of at the second attempt as Chaplin slid in looking for his second of the game.
Two minutes later, Morsy sent Burns away down the right and the Welshman cut across to Ladapo at the near post but the striker’s effort looped well wide under pressure from Rawson.
Seconds before the half-time whistle, Town extended their lead to four goals. Burns played inside to Chaplin just inside the box to the right and the Blues top scorer, having been given far too much space, took a touch, looked up and hit a shot with little backlift which caught Bedeau and nestled in the corner of the net to take his total for the season to 15.
The half was ended almost immediately to cheers and applause from the home support after 45 minutes almost entirely dominated by Town who quite reasonably could have been more than four goals in front.
New signings Clarke and Broadhead had been among the Blues’ top performers fitting into the side and making an impact from the opening minutes.
Morecambe had looked ring rusty after their enforced 17-day hiatus and had been thoroughly outplayed by the slick Blues from the 52nd-second opener onwards.
The shell-shocked visitors made a quadruple change ahead of the second half, Donald Love, Dynel Simeu, Michael Mellon and Dan Crowley replacing Ryan Cooney, Delaney, Mayor and Watts, while he Blues swapped Burns for Jackson.
Four minutes after the restart, Bedeau, who was having something of a disastrous evening, was booked for a foul on Broadhead as the Blues’ recent signing from Everton took the ball past him midway inside the Morecambe half.
Moments later, Evans was fouled, then Broadhead again and the referee David Rock had a word before the third free-kick.
Ripley again prevented Broadhead from netting a goal on his home and full debut in the 54th minute, diving away to his left to paw the Welsh U21 international’s top corner-bound shot from just outside the box.
Four minutes later, Stockton flicked a header from a cross wide but with Blues keeper Christian Walton, who was yet to save a shot, not troubled.
Just after the hour, Jackson was sent away down the right and cut back to a pack of Town players chasing into the area with Morsy the one it reached, the Egyptian international striking a low effort straight at Ripley.
Town made a triple change in the 64th minute, Humphreys replacing skipper Morsy, Edwards taking over from Broadhead, who left the field at the other side of the pitch and made his way round low-fiving his new fans as he made his way round the perimeter, and Hirst coming on for Ladapo, who was given standing ovation as he left the field.
Chaplin got his name in referee Rock’s book for a foul on Crowley in the 70th minute, the Town forward making it very clear to the official that he disagreed with the decision. Four minutes later, the two-goal forward was replaced by Harness.
Town had remained well in control in the second half but understandably without quite the same urgency or tempo as in the first having established their four-goal lead. Morecambe had kept it tighter in the middle, denying the Blues the space they had made the most of in the first period.
In three minutes of injury time, Jackson headed wide before referee Rock put Morecambe out of their misery.
Having scored four times in the first half, the game was already all but over by the time the second period got under way.
Morecambe clearly sought to limit the significant damage inflicted in the first period with their changes and second half approach.
"Even so, having remained in control throughout, Town might have added to their lead with Broadhead, excellent like fellow full debutant Clarke, going close along with Morsy.
The Blues, still third, move seven points behind leaders Plymouth, now having played the same number of games as the Pilgrims, and four off Sheffield Wednesday in second, the Owls having played one fewer with their game at Cheltenham this evening postponed due to a frozen pitch.
Town are next in action in the FA Cup at home to Burnley on Saturday with a visit to Cambridge United a week on Saturday their next League One fixture.
Town: Walton, Clarke, Keogh, Edmundson, Burns (Jackson 46), Evans, Morsy (c) (Humphreys 64), Davis, Chaplin (Harness 74), Broadhead (Edwards 64), Ladapo (Hirst 64). Unused: Hladky, Donacien.
Morecambe: Ripley (c), Gibson, Rawson, Delaney (Simeu 46), Stockton (Hunter 83), Weir, Bedeau, Watts (Crowley 46), Shaw, Cooney (Love 46), Mayor (Mellon 46). Unused: Smith, Gnahoua. Referee: David Rock (Hertfordshire). Att: 21,948 (Morecambe: 102).