Jordan Rhodes scored his first senior goal for Town after coming on as a half-time sub as the Blues drew 1-1 with Cardiff. Jim Magilton's men were again below par and had gone behind to a Gavin Rae goal. Late on, the Blues looked to have grabbed a winner but Danny Haynes's effort was ruled out for a push by Tommy Miller.

Magilton made two changes to the side which lost 2-0 at Colchester on Saturday. Gary Roberts came in on the left of midfield and Tommy Miller in the centre, while Velice Sumulikoski and Gavin Williams dropped out. Alan Quinn switched to right midfield.

In the second minute Danny Haynes sent in a dangerous cross from the right which flicked a defender and struck Alan Lee and ran to keeper Peter Enckelman before the frontman had time to react.

On 10 Tommy Miller won possession cheaply inside the Cardiff half and sent Danny Haynes away on the left. The striker's cross went beyond Miller, while Quinn's shot at the far post was bundled behind for a corner.

Five minutes later, Quinn sent the ball back into the box after a corner had been half cleared and Jason De Vos headed into the sidenetting at the far post when he probably ought to have hit the target.

Haynes again did well on the left in the 18th minute, the striker cutting the ball back to Roberts, who dallied over his shot, the ball eventually arriving back with Haynes, whose strike was blocked.

Sito was close to scoring an own goal in the 20th minute when he cut out a long pass forward to Gavin Rae and hit the ball straight at the on-rushing Stephen Bywater. Either side of the keeper and the Blues would have been behind.

On 24 Aaron Ramsey shot well wide from 30 yards, then Owen Garvan was yellow-carded for a foul on the edge of the area. Ramsey curled the freekick wide.

The Blues should have been ahead in the 28th minute when a Gary Roberts tackle inside the centre circle sent Alan Lee away on goal. The former Cardiff man looked set to slip the ball past Enckelman and into the net, but somehow managed to scrape it across the face of goal beyond the post. It was a poor miss and very similar to one in the first half of the Colchester game.

Sito was booked for a foul on Ramsey on 33, prior to the Bluebirds going in front. Danny Simpson failed to dispossess Ramsey on the Cardiff left, the referee waving play on as the loanee from Manchester United fouled the young midfielder. Ramsey took the ball into the area unchallenged and crossed low to the far post, where Gavin Rae tapped in unmarked.

Enckelman was relieved to see the ball fall to a Cardiff player after he dropped a freekick sent into the box on 37, prior to the lively Ramsey slipping in behind De Vos and hitting a shot high and wide.

The latter stages of the half were all Cardiff with the home side looking demoralised after conceding the goal. Earlier, the performance had been much as at Colchester, plenty of possession, but little creativity or confidence in and around the box.

The whistle was met with fiercest boos Portman Road has heard in some while with Town's play-off hopes appearing to ebb away.

Jim Magilton replaced the anonymous Gary Roberts at the break, Jordan Rhodes coming on alongside Alan Lee with Danny Haynes switching to the right flank and Alan Quinn to the left.

Owen Garvan shot wide from 25 yards in the opening minute of the second period, then Danny Haynes was unhappy that the linesman on the Cobbold Stand side of the ground first missed Tony Capaldi pulling him back and then the Northern Ireland international swing an arm in his direction after the ball had gone.

The Town players and crowd were becoming increasingly infuriated with the official running the line and referee Russell Booth for nit-picking and often contrary decisions, the North Stand eventually asking him whether he was "D'Urso in disguise”.

The Haynes-Capaldi spat continued and in the 56th minute the Cardiff player caught the Town striker with a late tackle somewhere around the knee and was lucky to escape with only a yellow card. From the freekick, the ball fell to Quinn on the edge of the area, but his weak shot was no trouble for Enckelman. Soon after, David Wright replaced Sito at left-back.

Town had hardly threatened but got themselves back on terms in the 73rd minute. Garvan played the ball to Quinn on the edge of the area, his shot struck a defender's arm inside the area and while the Town midfielder and the Cardiff backline looked to the referee, Jordan Rhodes nipped in to beat Enckelman from close range, the official having waved play on.

The Blues went looking for a winner, but more through determination than guile. Alex Bruce headed straight at the keeper from a corner, prior to Velice Sumulikoski replacing Alan Quinn, the Macedonian forming a central midfield three with Tommy Miller and Owen Garvan, while Haynes joined Lee and Rhodes up front.

Garvan went wide from 25 yards, then Peter Whittingham did much the same at the other. De Vos mis-hit an effort from the edge of the box after a Wright freekick had been cleared to him, before Garvan shot straight at the keeper.

With a minute remaining, the Blues thought they had won the game. David Wright sent in a freekick from the left, the ball bounced about inside the area no Town player managing to get in a shot and Cardiff failing to clear. Eventually, the ball fell to Haynes on the edge, his shot beating Enckelman.

The Town celebrations were short-lived, however, as referee Booth awarded Cardiff a freekick, apparently for a push by Tommy Miller. The players were livid with the decision and surrounded the Nottinghamshire official, but to no avail.

Town continued to push for the winner in the four minutes of added time and might have hit the net again. First Lee headed a cross down to Miller, but the midfielder's shot was straight at the keeper, then Rhodes was found in space by Sumulikoski, but the ball slid off his head wide of the post.

Boos again greeted the whistle, although not so vociferously as at half-time, while Jim Magilton approached the referee after what had appeared to be a very harsh decision to disallow the goal, the second time in two matches that Haynes has had a goal controversially ruled out.

Mr Booth had rarely given Town anything throughout the game and it was almost inevitable that one of his numerous questionable decisions would prove pivotal.

Town were again a shadow of the side which steamrollered most visitors to Portman Road in the early stages of the season. As at Colchester they were lacking in composure and confidence around the area and when they did create a decent chance the out of form Alan Lee again failed to take it.

The Cardiff goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the side in the manner which became so familiar to away supporters earlier in the season.

Rhodes's equaliser came at a time when the Blues were rarely threatening, but breathed some life into the previously jaded performance. Town pushed for the equaliser, but more through getting balls into the box than quality football and in the end they should probably have won, either via Haynes's disallowed goal or one of a number of late chances.

Jordan Rhodes's goal was probably the only positive to come out of the game in what has been an excellent week for the Rhodes family, younger brother Lewis – a Woodbridge Town player - having made his debut in goal for the Town U18s at Chelsea earlier in the week.

Otherwise, the result leaves Town's play-off hopes looking more and more desperate and more and more based on other sides' form collapsing in a manner worse than their own.

Town: Bywater, Sito (Wright 61), Simpson, De Vos, Bruce, Garvan, Miller, Quinn (Sumulikoski 79), Roberts (Rhodes 46), Lee, Haynes. Unused: Colgan, Williams. Att: 20,311.

Photo: Action Images

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