Wigan stretched their winning run to eight games in all competitions after coming from behind to beat the Blues 3-1 at Portman Road. Tommy Smith put Town in front in the 19th minute, but goals from James McClean and Leon Barnett saw the Latics go in ahead at the break with McClean adding his second and Wigan's third in 77th minute.

Loanee Jonny Williams was handed his full Town debut with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake dropping to the bench in an otherwise unchanged side.

Williams started behind Daryl Murphy in a 4-4-1-1 formation, while former Blues loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe was in the Latics XI.

Smith blocked an early Martyn Waghorn shot after the on-loan Leicester man had cut in from the right but otherwise there was little action of note in either penalty area in the opening five minutes.

The Blues threatened for the first time in the sixth minute after Emmerson Boyce had fouled Stephen Hunt on the Town left. The Irishman whipped over the freekick and Paul Anderson sent a looping header onto the roof of Ali Al-Habsi’s net.

Jordi Gomez shot wide from distance for the Latics in the 15th minute, however, it had been the Blues doing most of the pressing, although without having created an opportunity. One or two debatable freekick decisions hadn’t endeared referee David Coote to the home crowd.

On 17 Paul Anderson, now on the left with Hunt on the right, crossed low and Murphy hit a shot on the turn which had Al-Habsi scrambling across to his left to paw the ball wide.

Two minutes later, the Blues went in front. Anderson was fouled just outside the area to the right and Hunt laid the ball to Cresswell, whose shot was blocked.

It ran to Cole Skuse, whose effort was also blocked but Wigan were unable to clear and the former Bristol City man eventually nodded the ball back into the danger area and Smith hooked home his fourth goal of the season from eight yards.

But the lead would last only three minutes. Boyce fed Marc-Antoine Fortune down the Wigan right and the former West Brom man cut the ball back to James McClean, who had pulled off his marker and slammed the ball past Dean Gerken from 10 yards.

Leon Barnett did well to head Williams’s cross out ahead of Murphy on 26 Town having broken quickly after a spell of Wigan possession in the Blues’ half.

Soon after McClean had been booked for a 37th minute foul on Williams, the Blues had a great chance to go back in front. Cresswell cut the ball across from the left, Anderson laid it back to Luke Hyam 10 yards out but the midfielder smashed the ball deep into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand when he ought to at least have hit the target.

Three minutes before half-time, the visitors went ahead. Skuse fouled McClean on the Wigan left and Gomez curled the ball to the edge of the Town six-yard box from where Leon Barnett powered home a free header which Gerken couldn’t stop.

Neither side threatened to add to the goals in the remaining minutes with Town probably feeling they really oughtn’t to have been behind at the break.

Having gone in front, McClean was given far too much space in the penalty area for the first goal, while the Blues’ defending from the freekick which led to the second was even more questionable with Barnett and a number of his team-mates having escaped their markers and the ball in an area where Gerken could have claimed.

Hyam will feel he should have put his team back in front via his chance just prior to Wigan’s second goal.

Town threatened to equalise soon after the restart when Williams hassled Boyce into giving the ball away inside the Latics’ area. His shot from a tight angle deflected to Hunt, whose low cross found Murphy, but the striker was unable to divert the ball goalwards.

The Blues continued to push to get back on terms and on 53 Murphy tried to burst between Ivan Ramis and Barnett but the former Norwich centre-half stabbed the ball out of play.

From the corner, the Latics broke in numbers with Cresswell left three on one. Fortunately, James McArthur underhit his pass to Fortune and the Blues’ left-back intercepted.

On 57 Hunt and Ramis were both booked, the Blues winger for inadvertently catching the defender with an arm and the grounded Wigan man for swinging his arm at the Irishman as he remonstrated with him for his exaggerated reaction to the aerial challenge. The Sir Bobby Robson Stand were calling for a red for Ramis, which some referees might well have issued.

Paul Green replaced Skuse two minutes into the final half hour, then the visitors switched one-time Town target Nick Powell for Waghorn.

Green was booked within five minutes for a foul on Gomez. From the freekick, Barnett was just unable to get a touch at the far post having again escaped the Town backline. Paul Taylor replaced Anderson for the final 19 minutes, then soon afterwards Rob Kiernan replaced Barnett, the Wigan defender having suffered a knock.

The Latics increased their lead in the 77th minute after Green was hassled into surrendering possession to Gomez just inside the Town half. The Spaniard found Fortune on the right and the striker sent over a low cross and McClean tapped home his second of the afternoon at the far post.

Having gone 3-1 behind, Town switched Williams for Ebanks-Blake. Moments later, Green’s 25-yard effort was deflected wide, then after the resultant corner had been half-cleared and sent back into the box, Ebanks-Blake took the ball down on his chest but his shot ricocheted wide off a defender. Soon after, Taylor hit a low shot from the left which Al-Habsi saved.

Christophe Berra failed to get a touch on a dangerous Cresswell freekick from the left as the Blues continued to push, albeit not overly convincingly. Wigan remained a greater threat on the break.

Town once again gifted the visitors an opportunity in the 89th minute, Hyam surrendering possession to Powell, who rather fortunately for the Blues screwed his shot well wide.

In injury time Taylor and Murphy both saw efforts blocked but a Town comeback never seriously looked in prospect once they had conceded the third Wigan goal.

Overall, the Blues could have no complaints about the result. As at Leicester recently, they were beaten by a better side but one they had given a significant helping hand by gifting them their goals.

Manager Mick McCarthy is likely to have been less than impressed by his side’s defending for all three Latics goals.

Town pushed for an equaliser in the early stages of the half but probably ought to have conceded prior to McClean’s second with Wigan spurning decent opportunities, particularly their three on one break after a Town corner.

The scoreline and results elsewhere see the Blues stay in ninth in the table, but now six points from sixth with a trip to Brighton up next week.

Ipswich: Gerken, Chambers (c), Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Skuse (Green 62), Hyam, Anderson (Taylor 71), Hunt, Williams (Ebanks-Blake 78), Murphy. Unused: Loach, Mings, Tabb, Richardson.

Wigan: Al Habsi, Boyce, Perch, Ramis, Barnett (Kiernan 74), McArthur, Tunnicliffe, Gomez, Waghorn (Powell 64), McClean (Crainey 82), Fortune. Unused: Carson, McEachran, McManaman, Maynard. Referee David Coote (Nottinghamshire). Att: 16,047 (Wigan: 381)

Photo: Action Images

JWM added 21:16 - Mar 17 Blueboy lets just wait and see what the Summer brings! Who knows we might all be pleasantly surprised!
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