The Blues’ restaged game against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park remains 0-0 at half-time.
Town made five changes from the side which lost 2-1 at Oxford United on Friday. Into the team came Ashley Young, Kasey McAteer, Chuba Akpom, Jack Clarke, who was making his 50th league appearance for the Blues, and Ivan Azon with Darnell Furlong, Sindre Walle Egeli, Marcelino Nunez, Jaden Philogene and George Hirst all dropping to the bench.
Jacob Greaves, sent off in the fixture curtailed in the 80th minute in September due to a waterlogged pitch, was also among the subs, as was Jens Cajuste, back in the 20-man squad following his ankle injury with Cameron Humphreys missing out.
Blackburn named an unchanged team from Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wrexham but with club captain Todd Cantwell, who scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the first running of the game, back on the bench after a knee injury.
Town began the game on the front foot as rain, perhaps a little ominously, began to fall. The sparse Rovers crowd made their thoughts regarding the EFL’s decision to replay the fixture clear in song in the opening minute.
Blackburn created the first chance, Ryan Alebiosu crossing from the right and Andri Gudjohnsen heading down to one-time Rovers loanee Christian Walton’s left, the keeper claiming confidently.
Within a minute, Alebiosu pulled back to Taylor Gardner-Hickman in space on the edge of the area but the former Birmingham man was closed down by Kipre and his shot looped over.
On 14, McAteer was sent away on the right by Azor Matusiwa and sent a low ball across the edge of the six-yard box but too far in front of Azon.
In the 19th minute, with the rain getting harder, and one or two players having been slipping since the start, Blues skipper Dara O’Shea made an important interception, heading a Ryoya Morishita cross from the right over the bar.
Following the corner, the ball was sent back across from the right and Lewis Miller slid in at the far post but too late.
Town got into a mess passing out from the goal-kick, Walton failing to find Taylor, who appeared to lose his footing as Alebiosu challenged but the former Arsenal youngster wildly missed the target with his shot.
The majority of the game was by now being played in the Blues’ half and in the 26th minute Town lost possession and Kipre was forced to foul Yuki Ohashi just outside the area. The free-kick was wasted by Gardner-Hickman, who struck the wall with an effort which appeared to lack in any conviction.
The Rovers fans loudly booed Akpom after he went down requiring treatment as the half-hour approached, referee Oliver Langford having already stopped play for a couple of Town head injuries.
Once play restarted, Ryan Hedges cut back from the left to Morishita on the edge of the box but his effort was blocked by Jack Taylor.
Leif Davis hit Town’s first shot of the game in the 34th minute, following good work from McAteer, but sent the ball deep into the Rovers fans behind the goal.
Three minutes later, Azon went much closer, moving to the front post as Davis’s right-sided corner was whipped in and flicking a header just over the bar.
Town continued to give the ball away with all too great a regularity with Blackburn not that much better.
On 39 Blackburn appealed for a penalty when Ohashi went to ground having lost control of the ball to Matusiwa as he burst into the area, referee Langford rightly waving away the protests.
Two minutes from the scheduled end, Azon won a physical battle when very much second best and after his shot was blocked, the ball reached Clarke on the edge of the area and his strike deflected through for a corner.
Following the flag-kick, the ball was sent back in and Rovers counter-attacked quickly, Morishita getting behind Matusiwa, who inadvertently clipped his ankles around 35 yards out to the left. Much to the anger of the home fans, referee Langford issued only a yellow card with the distance and Davis retreating at pace down the middle persuading him not to show a red.
The free-kick was wasted and moments later the half ended with the Ewood Park support loudly booing referee Langford as he left the field.
Having started positively, the Blues’ performance had drifted alarmingly with Rovers looking the more likely scorers for the most part.
Town had been scruffy with the ball given away all too easily and having created little other than Azon’s flicked header from the corner.
They also might well have ended the half with 10 men with plenty of referees seeing Matusiwa’s foul on Morishita as a red card offence rather than a yellow.
The Blues will have to improve significantly after the break with the subs once again almost certainly having to play their part.
Blackburn: Pears, Alebiosu, Miller, McLoughlin (c), Pratt, Hedges, Forshaw, Gardner-Hickman, Morishita, Ohashi, Gudjohnsen. Subs: Michalski, Ribeiro, Tavares, Gueye, Cantwell, De Neve, Henriksson, Baradji, Atcheson.
Town: Walton, Young, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor, McAteer, Akpom, J Clarke, Azon. Subs: Button, Furlong, Johnson, Greaves, Cajuste, Nunez, Walle Egeli, Philogene, Hirst. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands).