Town are down to fourth following a frustrating 0-0 draw away at Bristol Rovers. The Blues dominated the first half but without creating enough opportunities, then after the break were scruffier with both sides having chances but with the home side going closest to breaking the deadlock when Scott Sinclair saw a goalbound effort turned against the post.
Boss Kieran McKenna made four changes from the team which started Saturday’s 2-2 home draw with Sheffield Wednesday.
Janoi Donacien, Sone Aluko, Marcus Harness and Freddie Ladapo came into the side for Harry Clarke, Conor Chaplin, Nathan Broadhead and George Hirst, all of whom were on the bench.
There was no place in the squad for George Edmundson and Massimo Luongo, who were injury doubts going into the match.
Rovers handed on-loan Aston Villa midfielder Lamare Bogarde his debut and former Chelsea, Manchester City, Celtic and Swansea winger Scott Sinclair returned to the XI, which featured three changes from Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Lincoln. Former Blues midfielder Grant Ward started.
Town, wearing their black and red away kit, went close to going in front in the second minute.
Leif Davis played the game’s first corner from the left low to Humphreys, who hit a shot towards the far post. Keeper Ellery Balcombe saved, Cameron Burgess’s follow-up was blocked and the ball rebounded off the Blues defender and then hit Harness and bounced away.
Two minutes later, the Blues threatened again. Davis sent over a corner from the right this time, Wes Burns knocked it back across goal to Ladapo and the striker’s header was nodded to Balcombe by Burgess.
After Town’s energetic start, Rovers began to threaten and in the 13th minute went close to going in front.
Burgess did well to hook a ball aimed for Sinclair out for a corner and from Anthony Evans’s flag-kick, Jarell Quansah rose highest and headed over with Blues keeper Christian Walton claiming he’d been prevented from getting to the ball, not without reason.
Town quickly got back on top, however, Luke Woolfenden playing in Davis on the left of the box with an excellent cross-field pass and the former Leeds man’s cross was turned behind by Balcombe.
On 20, Humphreys scuffed a shot from the edge of the box through to Balcombe, who had forced out a cross from the right, not entirely comfortably.
Nine minutes later, Davis sent over another corner from the left and Burgess hooked wide at the near post, the former Australian U23 international having emerged as Town’s main set-piece danger.
In the 33rd minute, with Town dominating play with the Pirates happy to sit back in numbers in their own half, Woolfenden brought the ball forward before clipping a ball towards Humphreys breaking into the left of the area but the ball flicked off Quansah’s head, then Humphreys’ and wide.
Three minutes later, Ladapo held off his man on the right of the area before sending a dangerous ball across the area which no one was able to reach.
Out of nothing in the 39th minute, Gas skipper Aaron Collins was played in on goal on the right of the box by Evans but the 14-goal frontman scraped a weak effort through to Walton when he will feel he ought to have given the keeper a sterner test.
A minute later, Collins had another chance, James Gibbons crossing from the right and League One’s second-top scorer looped over when he again should have done better.
On 42, Ladapo turned and struck a shot on the turn straight at Balcombe with the Blues ending the half totally dominating but without finding a way through the massed ranks of the Bristol Rovers rearguard.
Town had started very strongly and might well have gone in front in the opening minute. From there, they remained in control for the most part but without forcing Balcombe into serious action enough.
The Blues hadn’t had it all their own way with Collins having shown his threat on a couple of occasions towards the end of the half on rare Pirates forays forward.
A minute and a half after the restart, a free-kick was played to Aluko, who struck a shot wide from 25 yards.
On 48, Harness knocked down to Ladapo on the left of the area in space but the striker looped well over when he will feel he should have made more of the situation.
Three minutes later, Davis crossed from the left after Ladapo had laid off to him and Harness flicked a header over the bar.
In the the 57th minute, Collins escaped behind the Blues backline on the right of the area and hit a shot which Walton turned over at his near post.
A minute later, Town made their first two changes, Broadhead and Kyle Edwards taking over from Aluko and Burns.
The Blues started to become scruffy with too many passes going astray and in the 64th minute, Humphreys gave the ball away on halfway and Sinclair burst forward before shooting straight at Walton.
Moments later, Sinclair was in action at the other end, taking the ball off Edwards’s toe after Ladapo had laid it off to the winger following Broadhead’s cross from the left. Moments later, Humphreys looped a header high and wide.
Rovers came as close to scoring as it comes in the 69th minute when a corner was played to Collins, who looped towards the far post. Walton dropped the ball, it fell to Sinclair, whose effort was knocked off the line and onto the post by Woolfenden when it appeared the Pirates were certain to take the lead.
A minute after such a miraculous escape, Ladapo appeared to be fouled as he rolled Quansah on the edge of the box but referee Paul Howard wasn’t interested and eventually the Town striker was pulled up for a foul, much to his evident frustration.
It had been a poor second half from the Blues but sub Broadhead was having some impact down the left, the former Everton man reaching the byline before his cross was blocked.
Moments later, Broadhead worked himself space on the left of the area before hitting a shot which Balcombe batted away.
The momentum was starting to swing back towards the Blues and in the 75th minute Town made a triple change, Harness, Davis and Ladapo making way for Chaplin, Clarke and Hirst. Rovers switched Harry Anderson and Bogarde for Luca Hoole and Josh Coburn.
There was a scare for the Blues as the game entered its final 10 minutes, Woolfenden just taking a cross from the right away from Coburn, then Edwards blocked Collins’s shot after the striker had cut in from the left.
On 83, Morsy played a ball over the top on the right for Chaplin, who cut back to Broadhead, whose shot was deflected out for a corner.
Following flag-kick, Clarke cut in along the byline but his cross-shot was forced behind. From that corner, the ball scuffed off the recent signing from Arsenal’s head and wide. Three minutes later, Clarke was booked for a high challenge on Hoole.
In the 89th minute, Morsy sent Edwards away on the right from where the winger crossed to Hirst, who shot at Balcombe’s near post and the keeper bundled behind. Following the corner, Bristol Rovers broke but Walton was quickly out of his area to clear.
The Blues continued to huff and puff in five minutes of injury time but yet again were held to a draw by a side they should have beaten, Rovers having lost their previous five going into the match.
Having dominated the first half without creating enough serious chances, the Blues started the second half positively before going through a scrappy spell and were fortunate not to go behind when Sinclair hit the post.
At the whistle frustrations began to show with skipper Morsy exchanging views with a fan at the front of the away section before being pulled away.
With Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton all winning, the Blues are down to fourth, two points behind the Trotters in third, eight off the Owls in second and 10 off leaders Argyle.
Town, who were top a week before Christmas, are going to need to go on a long run of wins if they’re to give themselves a chance of automatic promotion with 15 left to play, something which they show few signs of putting together on recent form having won only one of their last eight in the league and four in their last 15.
The Blues are in action next against bottom club Forest Green Rovers at Portman Road on Saturday.
Bristol Rovers: Balcombe, Connolly, Gordon, Quansah, Sinclair, Ward, Collins (c), Anderson (Hoole 76), Evans, Bogardem(Coburn 76), Gibbons. Unused: Jaakkola, McCormick, Marquis, Lawrence, MacDonald.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Edwards 58), Morsy (c), Humphreys, Davis (Clarke 75), Aluko (Broadhead 58), Harness (Chaplin 75), Ladapo (Hirst 75). Unused: Hladky, Jackson. Referee: Paul Howard (London). Att: 8,542 (Town: 1,299).