Town 0-0 Stevenage - Half-Time Tuesday, 9th Aug 2016 20:40 Town’s EFL Cup first round tie at home to League Two Stevenage remains 0-0 at half-time. Boss Mick McCarthy named a stronger than usual cup side, although still featuring seven changes from the team which beat Barnsley 4-2 on Saturday. Dean Gerken was in goal with one-time Stevenage loanee Tommy Smith and Paul Digby at the heart of the defence and Jonas Knudsen and skipper Luke Chambers the full-backs. In midfield Kevin Bru and Jonathan Douglas lined-up in deeper central roles behind Andre Dozzell, who was between them and striker Freddie Sears, with Conor Grant on the left and weekend hat-trick hero Grant Ward on the right. Last week’s two new signings were both making their full debuts. Bartosz Bialkowski, David McGoldrick, Teddy Bishop, Christophe Berra and Cole Skuse were on a strong bench, while academy striker Ben Morris, 18, was named among the senior subs for the first time. After a tentative first 10 minutes the visitors were the first to threaten, Tom Conlon crossing from the right and Luke Wilkinson looping a header over. Town’s first opportunity came in the 16th minute when Dozzell sent Sears away on the right. The former Colchester man crossed towards Douglas, who stooped to head low past Stevenage keeper Jamie Jones’s right post. Saturday’s star man Ward struck his first effort of the evening in the 25th minute but the ball deflected wide for a corner. Two minutes later Boro’s Ben Kennedy bludgeoned his way through a couple of tackles on the edge of the box but was unable to make significant contact with his shot and it failed to test Gerken. On 33, with Town starting to look more dangerous, Sears was crowded out on the left. The loose ball fell to Knudsen but the Danish international screwed his volley well wide. Bru sent Sears away on the right of the area with a clever pass three minutes later but the former Colchester man’s shot flew wide. Knudsen burst away down the left in the 37th minute and crossed, but the ball hit Dozzell on the heel as he looked to volley goalwards. Soon after, Bru curled a freekick over after Grant had been fouled. A minute before the break, Stevenage’s Conlon struck the first half’s only shot on target from a freekick just outside the area to the right. However, Gerken got down to his right to firmly punch the ball away from goal. That was the last significant action of a not overly enthralling 45 minutes played in a pre-season atmosphere in front of Portman Road's lowest League Cup crowd for 20 years. After a quiet start, the Blues gradually began to threaten sporadically but had failed to force Stevenage keeper Jones into a save. Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Digby, Smith, Knudsen, Douglas, Bru, Dozzell, Grant, Ward, Sears. Subs: Bialkowski, Berra, Kenlock, Skuse, Bishop, Morris, McGoldrick. Stevenage: Jones, Franks, Wilkinson, McAnuff, Liburd, Kennedy, Gorman, Wells, Lee, Henry (c), Conlon. Subs: Day, Fox, Pett, Hyde, Tonge, Godden, Donnellan. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey).
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