Town's second string fell to a 1-0 defeat against a young Chelsea side in front of a larger than usual reserves crowd. The visitors were the better side in the first half and Town in the second, however sub Jimmy Smith scored Chelsea's superb winner late in the game.
The woodwork played a big part in keeping the score at 0-0 in the first half, Chelsea hitting the home post and then the bar and then almost immediately the post at the other end from a Town corner.
Sub Smith scored the winner in the 75th minute, lashing the ball past Lewis Price from the edge of the area after Tommy Miller had half-cleared a cross.
Striker Alun Armstrong missed Town's best chance just prior to the Chelsea goal, slipping beyond the keeper but past the post, but showed no signs of his recent back injury.
Loanee Alan Mahon played for 70 minutes and showed some nice touches, but picked up a yellow card in the first half, as did Tommy Miller and Alun Armstrong.
Mahon, recently out with a hamstring injury and then flu, will hope to have done enough to win himself a place in the senior side for the trip to his former loan club Cardiff on Saturday.
Defender John McGreal and the rest of the defence were solid throughout with youngster Scott Barron the pick of the backline at left-back.
Scott Mitchell, once more playing in central midfield, again impressed, as did winger Daniel Flack after coming on at half-time.
Reserves: Price, Hogg, Barron, Mitchell, McGreal, Collins, Abidallah (Flack 46), Miller, Armstrong, Bowditch, Mahon (Morrow 70). Att 1,325