Former Blue Jordan Rhodes and Rudy Gestede netted second half goals condemned the Blues to a 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers. After an evenly-balanced first half, Town, who are now ninth, five points off the play-offs, never looked like getting anything from the game after Rhodes had opened the scoring in the 64th minute, Gestede adding the second with 10 minutes left on the clock.

Anthony Wordsworth and Frank Nouble were recalled to the Town starting line-up with Stephen Hunt dropping to the bench and Paul Anderson out of the 18.

Nouble began on the left with Wordsworth on the right and Jonny Williams behind lone striker Daryl Murphy.

Lee Williamson hit a weak first-minute strike through to Dean Gerken but the Blues had the better of the opening minutes with Williams seeing a lot of the ball. On seven the Wales international sent over a cross which Murphy shot well over on the turn.

There was a scare for the Blues on 17 when Christophe Berra made an uncharacteristic error and surrendered possession to Gestede midway inside the Town half on the Blackburn left. Craig Conway broke forward but Smith was on hand to cut out his cross.

The home side were beginning to get on top and in the 19th minute Gerken claimed Corry Evans’s flick goalwards. Then, after Nouble had cheaply given the ball away, the Northern Irishman broke in from the right and his low shot was deflected wide.

Nouble whipped a low ball over from the left but too far in front of Murphy in the 25th minute, then three minutes later Williams sent in an even better cross but the Irishman’s header flew over.

Tom Cairney curled a 25-yard strike into Gerken’s arms just past the half-hour mark, then on 32 Gestede shot powerfully over from distance.

Five minutes later Wordsworth picked up the game’s first booking for a foul on Tommy Spurr on the Rovers left. From the freekick, Michael Keane flicked Conway’s freekick to Gerken’s left and the keeper did well to get down to scramble it away from goal.

It was Town’s turn to threaten next, Wordsworth sending Murphy away down the left with a superb pass. The striker cut it back to Aaron Cresswell, whose strike was blocked, then the loose ball fell to Williams but his shot was saved by Paul Robinson.

Blackburn felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty in the 43rd minute when Berra appeared to push Gestede over as a freekick came into the box. The home side might have had a case, although Berra himself appeared to have been inadvertently nudged into the ex-Cardiff man by Smith as a crowd of players went for the same ball.

Skuse shot over just before the fourth official’s board revealed two minutes of additional time at the end of an evenly balanced first half.

Both sides had had spells on top and a few opportunities with the Blues at their most dangerous when Williams was involved. Overall, the level scoreline was a fair reflection of the half as a whole.

Five minutes after the restart Chambers was booked somewhat harshly for blocking off Conway on the Blackburn left.

On 55 Nouble headed Williams into space inside the Town half following the second of two Blackburn corners. The on-loan Palace man took the ball on into Blackburn territory, sent the ball one side of last defender Evans and went the other himself. However, the 20-year-old went too wide and directed his shot across the face of goal. Regardless of the ultimate outcome it was quite some break.

Town were starting to look the more threatening side and on the hour Nouble hit a powerful shot from distance which Robinson pushed away. Moments later, Chambers exchanged passes with Williams on the edge of the box but the Blues’ skipper’s effort was too close to the Rovers keeper, who claimed.

At the other end, after Matthew Kilgallon had been booked for a foul on Williams, Conway shot over, Gestede having laid the ball back to him on the 18-yard line. Soon after, Williamson added his name to referee Keith Stroud’s book for pulling back Williams.

Despite the Blues having had more of the second half, the visitors went in front in the 64th minute and inevitably it was former Town man Rhodes who was on target.

Gestede cleverly turned Grant Hanley's long ball into Rhodes’s path and the striker got behind his close friend Tommy Smith before hitting a low shot to Gerken’s left and into the net. It was the Scotland international’s third goal in three games against his old club and his 50th in the league for Rovers.

Coincidentally, former Blues boss Roy Keane, the man who controversially sold Rhodes to Huddersfield for a fee which ultimately rose to just above £1 million in the summer of 2009, was watching from the stand as he ran the rule over Daryl Murphy in his capacity as Republic of Ireland assistant manager.

Blackburn went looking for a quick second, Gestede forcing a corner from which Cairney eventually shot over from the edge of the box.

Town had been unable to get back into the game after conceding and in the 73rd minute Sylvan Ebanks-Blake replaced Wordsworth, who had found it difficult to make an impression in his unfamiliar role. Ebanks-Blake took up a position in the centre of a front three with Nouble on his left and Murphy the right.

Gestede, who was giving Berra a tough afternoon, should have made it 2-0 in the 77th minute but shot over after latching onto Rhodes’s overhead kick from Spurr’s cross from the left.

But with 10 minutes remaining Gestede did increase his team’s lead. Conway sent over a freekick from close to the corner on the right and the Benin international battled through a crowd of players to nod his seventh goal of the season past Gerken.

Town had never looked like getting back in the game having gone behind and they looked even less so after Blackburn’s second. On 86 Stephen Hunt replaced Williams, who looked to have tired after a lively first hour.

In the closing stages Cairney shot wide, then struck one of his own players with another effort from the edge of the box just prior to referee Stroud’s final whistle.

After the even first period, it was a disappointing second half from Town, who never looked like getting anything from the match having gone behind to Rhodes’s predictable and well-worked goal.

Mick McCarthy is unlikely to be impressed with conceding the second from a set piece and that his team failed to show their recent proclivity for comebacks on this occasion.

The result and today's scorelines elsewhere see the Blues drop to ninth, five points behind Reading in the final play-off spot with six games left to play.

Blackburn: Robinson, Keane, Hanley (c), Kilgallon, Spurr, Cairney, Evans (Varney 78), Williamson (Etuhu 90), Conway, Gestede (Dunn 83), Rhodes. Unused: Eastwood, King, Taylor, Feeney.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Cresswell, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Hyam (Green 90), Wordsworth (Ebanks-Blake 73), Nouble, Williams (Hunt 86), Murphy. Unused: Loach, Mings, Tabb, Richardson. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire). Att: 13,281 (Town: 635).

Photo: Action Images

bring_back_Wickham added 17:07 - Apr 5 Play-offs gone
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Ipswich_Crazy added 17:09 - Apr 5 Not yet, very hard but not impossible!
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blueboy1981 added 17:10 - Apr 5 Oh Well - seems we played another 'world beating' team again today. In all honesty, wasn't too much to expect at least a point today. Or was it ??
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ChrisFelix added 17:13 - Apr 5 Disappointed although not surprised as the last time we beat Blackburn in the league on their ground must be over 20 years ago. Listening to the over confidence on Suffolk before the game im a realist & look forward to some new additions in the summer
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BlueMachines added 17:17 - Apr 5 Not many towns fans would've chosen a different starting eleven. Play consistently inconsistent as ever!!
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TimmyH added 17:18 - Apr 5 Poor result in my opinion, I know it's easy to say in hindsight but the 4411 has not been successful and didn't look right with Nouble on the left and Wordsworth on the right. How many times this season have we helped teams which are struggling to at least a point in games? today it's Blackburn's turn whom hadn't won at home since the 1st Feb when they beat the mighty Blackpool and had a feeling when they didn't beat Brighton mid-week they would turn us over. Still 6 games left and it's the Championship so I'd never discount anything but today was a big step back from any thoughts of making the play-offs.

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TractorBoy666 added 17:19 - Apr 5 Knew this would be a tough game, always is when we play Blackburn away. It's not all over yet with Reading having some hard games, but its a must win for us on Tuesday I feel. I just dislike this 2 defensive midfielders tactic every game and no width in the team at all. I really think Bournemouth are the team with the momentum at the moment who I think could make it ahead of us all. Lets focus on Huddersfield, its not over yet! Oh yes and for those calling for Darren Ferguson again on the radio, give it a break, what's he done that warrants a manager at a championship side?

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BlueBadger added 17:22 - Apr 5 Yet again, Roy Keane has cost us the play-offs.
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itfc1981 added 17:29 - Apr 5 God scores again. Cheers mad men.
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Tractamatt added 17:32 - Apr 5 If, and lets face it it more than likely, we are not going to make the playoffs then let's get some good results to give us some form of momentum for the start of next. However down you feel about this result it has been such a better season than last and the club is moving in the right direction.COYB
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itfc_leggett added 17:33 - Apr 5 If we are to get this 6th place our home form will be crucial. We'll need to get maximum points from home and pick up a decent amount away. It was an unlucky result today but we just need to maintain hope and we may sneak it. I think bournmouth will sneak that sixth place with there curent form. I'd much rather be here for another season and build a strong squad in the summer and get an automatic place. It will help us in the BPL, if we get there, to have a strong squad that got their through playing well rather than sneaking a playoff place on the last game of the season. COYB

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smithy91 added 17:34 - Apr 5 For god sake Mccarthy, stop playing Skuse/Hyam partnerhip, its too fookin negative! Getting really frustrated with the constant great run of results followed by poor results against struggling teams, which is usually down to setting up with a defensive minded midfield or players out of position. By all accounts if we had a more attacking lineup in the past two games with 4-3-3 that ended derby we would be in the playoff zone at this moment.

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smithy91 added 17:37 - Apr 5 Wordsworth out on the right after playing well in center with Hyam from brighton/derby games, really? we have done well but the reasons we arent higher in the league are totally avoidable for such an experienced manager
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townietilidie added 17:38 - Apr 5 Sorry Mick but i think you have lost your marbles my old friend .... Nouble on the left and Wordsworth on the right ??? I'm no football genius , but jeez c'mon , we have natural wingers and they are nowhere to be seen . It feels god to be flirting with the play offs but the reality is we are just not quite good enough for that right now . On to the next one , COYB !!!!

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Surco72 added 17:39 - Apr 5 Putting Skuse and Hyam back together has cost us . 2 poor results against lesser opposition than Brighton and Derby . Personally bluemachines I think a number of supporters would have chosen a different starting eleven and formation
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Seasider added 17:42 - Apr 5 No wingers,two defensive midfielders and another Woody played out of position,and with only one up front.Berra having a poor game by his standards. Could/should we have been a bit more positive so that Robinson was at least tested,I dont know as not Manager but no doubt Mick will consider this for Tuesday as really need to win against Huddersfield.Hinted earlier that players like Skues should play all the time;so they know where they stand,looks like Paul Taylor knows where he stands,in the stands! With two games in short space of time fatigue should be considered,and am not happy about Luke Chambers double vision as he revealed also gets pins and needles down right side.Feel Richardson should get a game until this is checked out thoroughly. Once again disgusted at club for trying to con us into paying another £120.In over 50 years of supporting club never experienced such treatment.What about people who dont read the club or this website.Expect will be in EADT but will still be some who stand to lose this money through no fault of theirs.Havn't read about Mr Evans lately but when I did surf net,didn't read anything complementary about him,and recall in his earlier days upset the All England club with his ticket touting antics.Whatever would the late Mr John have to say on the matter.Expect his comments would have contained afew expletives. Leaving all that aside however hoping for a win on Tuesday as not out of it altogether yet and as Greavsie used to say "It's a funny old game!

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blueboy1981 added 17:47 - Apr 5 Skuse and Hyam - neither individually or collectively up to the task of creating anything - far too negative combination. And as for continually playing players out of position - it's totally beyond me - I wish someone could tell me WHY ?? - we have to do it. Oh well again, not getting worked up about it - absolutely no point (in more ways than one) !!!
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essexboy added 17:47 - Apr 5 It's not over till the Fat Lady Sings.!
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TractorCam added 17:49 - Apr 5 Rhodes is clearly going to be another Nugent problem too us. Must beat Huddersfield tuesday night to stay in it
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smithy91 added 17:51 - Apr 5 Kind of a pity to take solice in this, but the scum lost again so something to cheer us up lol
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Big_Jase added 17:56 - Apr 5 Is this the same Skuse/Hyam combination that everyone appears to be moaning about that has been the mainstay in a team that has done very well this season?
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Surco72 added 18:01 - Apr 5 Big Jase .. we have picked up a higher percentage of wins and points in games started when one or the other has been injured , than when they are both playing
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gippeswyk added 18:06 - Apr 5 1 point from 2 games against struggling teams isnt the form we want going into the business end of the season. Reading and Wigan winning means we need to get back to winning ways and hope results elsewhere go our way or we'll struggle to stay in the top 10 as it bunches up around us. At least Palace won so we should keep Joniesta a bit longer, and Norwich lost!
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NoelTheDub added 18:07 - Apr 5 Wasnt expecting anything from a hard game today BUT Micks team and formation or tactics were way of the mark.1up, no proper width again why Mick pick this line up is mind boggling what do some players have to do to get a regular game. Mick says on many occasion we have a very small squad well he changes it enough.Great season Mick but at times your team sheets are all over the place and its my view that is why we are 12 or 15 points less is this crazy league some teams above us are not much better but play a balanced team very important in any sport..

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Bluetone added 18:09 - Apr 5 I am beginning to wonder if McCarthy is trying to avoid the play-offs because he realises that if we do reach them we will be found to be wanting big time.
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