Town's woeful home form continued as Doncaster Rovers left Portman Road with a 3-1 win. Gareth Roberts's fluke put the visitors in front, before Owen Garvan hit back, but goals from Paul Heffernan and James Hayter won the game, while Connor Wickham became Town's youngest ever player.

The Blues made four changes from the side which lost at Sheffield United last week. Giovani Dos Santos, David Wright and Jon Walters returned from injury, while Pablo Couñago came back into the starting line-up. Jon Stead, Alan Quinn, Kevin Lisbie and Alex Bruce dropped out. Connor Wickham was named on the bench, while Richard Wright skippered in Gareth McAuley's absence.

Walters started up front alongside Pablo Couñago with Dos Santos at the top of a midfield diamond with Garvan on the left, Norris on the right and Shumulikoski in the holding role.

Rovers started the stronger side, the Blues as so often allowing the opposition to take control of the game in the early stages. Martin Woods hit the match's first shot in the fifth minute but was too high.

On eight, David Norris felt he had been shoved in the penalty area as the Blues started to make some headway. Referee Keith Stroud saw nothing.

The Blues went behind a minute later via a remarkable fluke from Gareth Roberts. The left-back sent in a deep cross from a few yards inside the Town half not far from the touchline, Richard Wright seeming to lose the ball in the sun behind the Britannia Stand as it looped over him and dropped just under the crossbar and inside the post. Roberts signalled an apology rather than celebrating scoring.

The first boos on the already discontented terraces rang out, although without took much vigour.

Four minutes later, the Blues got back on terms. Norris played the ball in to Couñago's feet inside the area and the Spaniard laid it back to Garvan, who struck a low, right-footed shot past Neil Sullivan into the corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Town, who had by now switched Jon Walters to a wide right role in a five-man midfield, were well on top for a spell after the goal. Garvan shot wide with another effort, then the Irishman fed Dos Santos from a David Wright cross from the right and the Mexican hit Sullivan's left post.

For Rovers, Dean Shiels shot over from the edge of the area, prior to Walters doing much the same at the other end.

Dos Santos was increasingly playing as a second striker as the half moved into its final 10 minutes. Garvan shot over, then Couñago's promising effort from the edge of the box was deflected wide.

Overall, it had been a disappointing half from the Blues. They had handed the impetus to the visitors from the off and Rovers deserved to go in front, even if the goal had been hugely fortunate.

Town played some decent stuff in a 10-minute spell around the goal, but the remainder of the period had been poor with neither side looking likely to add to their goals.

The second half started with Dos Santos moving to wide on the right and Walters rejoining Couñago up front. Nine minutes in, Pim Balkestein forced Sullivan into a save with a header from a Garvan corner. Two minutes later, Shiels was booked for a spot of theatrics on the edge of the Town area.

Walters shot wide from 25 yards for the Blues as the game reached the hour mark without any improvement in quality or entertainment. Shiels shot over from 30 yards for the South Yorkshiremen.

On 65 Connor Wickham was introduced for the again disappointing Veliche Shumulikoski, becoming the club's youngest ever first team player at 16 years and 11 days, taking the record from Jason Dozzell, who made his first appearance (and scored) for the Blues at 16 and 57 days against Coventry City in February 1984.

Wickham's introduction saw Walters move back to wide right and Dos Santos to the left of midfield with Norris and Garvan in the centre.

Campo curled a freekick over on 69, five minutes before the visitors went back in front. James Chambers crossed from the right and Richard Wright saved Paul Heffernan's header at the far post. There seemed to be time for the Blues to clear the danger but the former Notts County man was quickest to the ball and supplied the final touch.

Town had rarely looked like creating anything in a thoroughly lacklustre second half, but on 74 Garvan chipped the ball to the far post where Walters and Wickham appeared to get in one another's way.

Wellens struck a 35-yard volley which wasn't too far away from troubling Wright, prior to Kevin Lisbie replacing Couñago and Alan Quinn taking over from Norris with the North Stand singing "What a load of rubbish”.

Rovers netted their third goal in the 84th minute when James Hayter was played in on goal by Martin Woods, the former Bournemouth man beating Wright with ease.

The North Stand reacted as angrily as at any stage during what has been a consistently disappointing season. Chants of "We want Magilton out” and "You don't know what you're doing” rang out in the North Stand immediately after the goal and again when referee Stroud blew the final whistle.

It was really just more of what has become customary at Portman Road this season. A lack of quality throughout the side, very little in the way of chances or goal threat and relatively ordinary opposition allowed to leave Suffolk with three points. Doncaster passed the ball neatly, but looked nothing special, as their league position illustrates, but they had more than enough to beat Town.

The Blues started slowly, as they usually do, with Doncaster getting an early hold on the game. Only in the 10-minute period in which they scored did they look like they had any control over the game.

Dos Santos was again anonymous, Walters looked short on fitness, Gareth McAuley was missed at the back with both Campo and Balkestein having less than impressive afternoons, Shumulikoski again lacked any presence at the heart of the midfield, while Garvan and too many others appear woefully short of confidence.

Wickham showed his physical power in one challenge with James Chambers, but didn't really have too many chances to shine or open his league goals account. It wasn't an easy afternoon on which to make your senior bow.

Town's stuttering season staggers to a close with performances if anything deteriorating and more and more fans' feeling that a change of manager is the only way to prevent next season from meandering in the same directionless manner.

Town: R Wright, D Wright, Thatcher, Balkestein, Campo, Shumulikoski (Wickham 65), Garvan, Norris (Quinn 79), Dos Santos, Walters, Couñago (Lisbie 79). Unused: Bialkowski, Bruce. Att: 19,918.

Photo: Action Images

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