The Blues’ final game of 2023 against QPR at Portman Road remains 0-0 at half-time.
Town fielded a team featuring six changes from the side which drew 1-1 with leaders Leicester City on Boxing Day with Leif Davis, who had picked up a calf problem, and Wes Burns, who was ill, joining George Hirst, out with a hamstring injury, and suspended skipper Sam Morsy out of the squad.
Vaclav Hladky continued in goal with Brandon Williams returning at right-back, Cameron Humphreys making his first Championship start at left-back and Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves.
In Morsy’s absence, former QPR man Massimo Luongo captained from central midfield alongside another ex-R, Dom Ball.
Ahead of them, Omari Hutchinson was on the right and Conor Chaplin in the middle with Marcus Harness on the left, the former Portsmouth man having initially been down as a sub before being called into the team just before kick-off after Nathan Broadhead had pulled up in the warm-up. Freddie Ladapo was the central striker.
Of those who started the 1-1 draw with Leicester on Boxing Day, Harry Clarke, who is managing an achilles issue, and Jack Taylor and were on the bench.
Also among the subs were Sone Aluko and George Edmundson, while U21s striker Gerrard Buabo, 18, was on the first-team bench in the league for the first time. Elkan Baggott was a late addition following Harness’s elevation into the starting XI.
QPR made five changes from the team which lost 2-0 at Millwall on Boxing Day with Reggie Cannon, Steve Cook, Chris Willock, Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Sinclair Armstrong coming into the XI.
Former Blues loan keeper Asmir Begovic skippered, while ex-Town midfielder Andre Dozzell also started.
The visitors were the first side to threaten, Armstrong, who had been a threat through the Blues’ 1-0 win at Loftus Road in August, shooting from a tight angle on the right and Hladky bundling behind.
But Town had an even better opportunity in the sixth minute when Ladapo was played through on goal but the striker was a bit hesitant and after turning rather than heading towards goal, lost the ball. Harness subsequently looped the loose ball into Begovic’s arms.
Three minutes later, Harness reacted quickly to cut out an under-hit QPR pass and fed Ladapo in on the right of the box. This time the frontman got in a shot but it struck the advancing Begovic on the legs and looped over.
The Blues went close again from the corner, Humphreys playing a now familiar low corner towards Chaplin on the edge of the box but on this occasion the forward’s shot was scuffed and Begovic was able to save.
On 16, following a long spell of Town possession, Ball found Humphreys in space on the left of the box but the youngster overhit his cross when in a promising position.
However, four minutes later, Williams was caught in possession not far outside the Blues area and Armstrong forced Hladky into another save, this time at his other post, but again from a tight angle.
As the clocked ticked over into the 22nd minute, fans applauded in tribute to 22-year-old supporter Ben Moore, who died on Thursday following a battle with leukaemia.
There was a huge scare for the Blues, who were continuing to put in a rather disjointed display, in the 31st minute when the ball flicked off Cook’s head at the near post from a corner, struck the inside of the post and ran along the line. Hladky palmed it away from the line and it was hastily cleared by Burgess.
The incident seemed to wake up the previously rather sullen Portman Road crowd and in the 34th minute, the Blues weren’t too far away from an opener when Hutchinson cut in and shot from a tight angle on the right, forcing Begovic to tip over.
Town’s corner came to nothing and soon afterwards Chaplin was yellow-carded for a foul, having previously been pulled up for an earlier indiscretion.
Neither side created an opportunity in the remaining minutes of an unusually drab Portman Road first half.
Given all the changes, it was perhaps not a surprise that the Blues were lacking a little of their regular lustre.
They had had spells in control but without looking particularly dangerous for the most part, although Hutchinson wasn’t too far away and Ladapo probably should have done better with his two early chances.
At the other end, QPR had had one or two opportunities with Cook very unfortunate with his header, the ball hitting the post and running along the line in a similar manner to an Armstrong shot in the game at Loftus Road.
Town need to step it up in the second half if they’re not to drop points in the promotion race with Southampton having beaten Plymouth 2-1 at home earlier in the evening.
The restart is delayed due to a medical emergency in the stadium.
Town: Hladky, Williams, Woolfenden, Burgess, Humphreys, Luongo (c), Ball, Hutchinson, Chaplin, Harness, Ladapo. Subs: Walton, Clarke, Edmundson, Baggott, Taylor, Jackson, Aluko, Tuanzebe, Buabo.
QPR: Begovic (c), Cook, Clarke-Salter, Willock, Field, Chair, Dozzell, Dixon-Bonner, Cannon, Paal, Armstrong. Subs: Archer, Kakay, Dunne, Dykes, Smyth, Larkeche, Drewe, Adomah, Kolli. Referee: David Webb (Lancashire).