Tommy Smith’s sixth goal of the season has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead in their final game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday at Portman Road.

Anthony Wordsworth and Frank Nouble came into an otherwise unchanged starting XI for Stephen Hunt, who drops to the bench, and the injured Cole Skuse.

Skipper Luke Chambers, Christophe Berra and Tommy Smith lined-up in a three-man central defence with Aaron Cresswell as the left wing-back and Frazer Richardson on the right.

Jonny Williams was between central midfielders Wordsworth and Paul Green and strikers Nouble and Daryl Murphy. Former Blues academy scholar Caolan Lavery started for the Owls.

Wednesday had the better of a rather understated for 10 minutes but two blocked Michail Antonio shots were the nearest they came to testing Town keeper Dean Gerken. On 12 on-loan Chelsea man Sam Hutchinson headed wide from a corner.

Town began to get more into it and on 17 Green fed Williams inside the area, but the Wales international was solidly challenged by Glenn Loovens as he looked to shoot. Moments later, Atdhe Nuhiu nodded wide for the visitors from a cross from the right.

After cutting out a Wednesday break just outside his own area, Green broke forward before playing Nouble into space on the left. The striker took the ball into the Owls box but Hutchinson got back to tackle as he tried to cut inside.

Just after the half hour mark, Lavery, who turned down the offer of a pro contract with the Blues after his scholarship, saw an effort blocked, as did Antonio.

Richardson had a decent chance in the 35th minute after Williams had taken a freekick quickly to Nouble on the left. The striker over-hit his cross but the ball fell perfectly for Richardson, however, the on-loan Boro man screwed his volley well wide. Soon after, Owls defender Oguchi Onyewu was booked for a foul on Williams.

On 37 WIlliams started the move which led to Town taking the lead. The on-loan Palace man crossed from the left, the ball falling to Smith, who stabbed it back to Wordsworth, who left it for Green on the edge of the box.

The Leeds loanee found Murphy on the right of the area and the Irish striker curled a shot which Owls keeper Damian Martinez could only palm out to Smith, who stabbed home his sixth goal of the season.

Hutchinson just got in ahead of Nouble to nod back to Martinez as the Blues frontman chased a ball down the middle on 38 as Town went looking for a second.

Within a minute Murphy was within a whisker of adding his 14th goal of the season when he cut in from the right and hit a left-foot shot which beat Martinez but struck the post.

In the final scheduled minute of the half Gerken did well to get across to his right to save Lavery’s shot from the edge of the box, then from the resultant corner made an even better stop. Oguchi Onyewu headed down Chris Maguire’s corner from the left and Gerken reacted superbly to block Antonio’s goalbound effort from close range.

The referee’s whistle followed soon afterwards to end a half which had taken a while to get going with neither keeper having to make a save until Martinez’s stop from Murphy which led to Smith’s goal.

Town had the better of it from there with Murphy unfortunate not to add to his total for the season, while only an excellent late save from Gerken prevented the visitors from getting back on terms.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Cresswell, Richardson, Green, Wordsworth, Nouble, Williams, Murphy. Subs: Loach, Mings, Hunt, Tabb, Henshall, Taylor, Marriott.

Sheffield Wednesday: Martinez, Mattock, Onyewu, Loovens, Lee, Coke, Hutchinson, Maguire, Lavery, Antonio, Nuhiu. Subs: Kirkland, Maghoma, McCabe, Helan, Llera, Stobbs, Best. Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).

Photo: Action Images

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