Town’s New Year’s Day game away against League One leaders Wycombe remains 0-0 at half-time.

Fresh from signing his new contract, Town boss Paul Lambert made two changes to the team which lost 5-3 at Lincoln on Sunday as his side faced the Chairboys, his first English club.

The Blues started in a 3-5-2 system with James Wilson returning to the backline alongside skipper Luke Chambers and Luke Woolfenden.

With Janoi Donacien dropping out of the 18 having suffered a knee injury against the Imps, Gwion Edwards and Luke Garbutt were the wing-backs.

Emyr Huws came into midfield for Andre Dozzell, who was on the bench, with Flynn Downes and Alan Judge, while James Norwood and Kayden Jackson were up front.

On the bench for the first time since suffering a knee injury in pre-season was midfielder Teddy Bishop. Freddie Sears was left out after playing 59 minutes at Lincoln having only recently returned from his ACL injury

For Wycombe, former Blues midfielder Matt Bloomfield skippered, while man mountain striker Adebayo Akinfenwa was on the bench.

After an uneventful opening at a sell-out Adams Park and on a heavy pitch, the home side should have gone in front via their first serious attack of the game in the sixth minute.

Alex Samuel managed to get on the ball on the right of the box close to the byline as Chambers tried to shield it away from him and out of play and crossed low to the far past from where Paul Smyth somehow put the ball the wrong side of the post with the gaol gaping.

Almost immediately, Town, wearing their Barcelona-style away kit, broke up the other end and Gwion Edwards struck a shot from the right of the area which Darius Charles cleared away from the line.

Smyth tried to make amends for his earlier miss on eight with a shot which was blocked, then two minutes later Joe Jacobson curled a 25-yard freekick wide.

The early stages of the game had quickly developed into an end-to-end affair and soon afterwards Edwards saw a cross from the right blocked, then on 12 Norwood was sent away on the left but shot over when he might feel he could have done better.

Seconds later, Nnamdi Ofoborh similarly went too high with a strike from distance for the Chairboys.

The chances dried up for the following 10 minutes as the two teams battled to get on top with the Blues passing the ball around with perhaps a little more patience than in some recent games and the very direct Wycombe looking to get it forward quickly.

As the game reached the half-hour mark, a long spell of Town possession was ended when Jackson was fouled 30 yards out. Garbutt took the freekick but was unable to repeat Sunday’s strike at Lincoln and the ball looped into the stand behind the goal.

The Blues were beginning to take charge and on 32 Norwood saw a shot blocked following a corner.

Two minutes later, Wilson was shown the game’s first yellow card for halting the breaking Smyth 10 yards outside the area. Jacobson curled the freekick deep into the Town fans massed behind that goal.

Wycombe keeper Ryan Allsop was forced into his first significant save of the game in the 37th minute when Chambers found Garbutt with a cross-field pass, the on-loan Everton man sent in a ball and Judge looped a header which Allsop clawed away for a corner.

The Chairboys’ only threat after the early stages had been set pieces and they were awarded another just outside the area on 40. Jacobson looped to the far post and a Nick Freeman shot was blocked.

As the fourth official raised his board indicated one further minute, Jacobson sent over another freekick, this time form the right. Charles flicked it on and Giles Phillips nodded well over at the far post. Referee Robert Lewis ended the half moments later.

Having been fortunate to escape going behind in the early stages, the Blues had begun to look the better side.

Edwards might have been unlucky with his early chance which was cleared away from the line, Norwood will probably feel he could have done better with his opportunity, while Judge forced a good save from Allsop with his header.

The final minutes of the period were very stop-start with the home side winning a lot of set pieces, from which they looked dangerous.

Wycombe: Allsop, Phillips, Stewart, Charles, Jacobson, Ofoborh, Bloomfield (c), Freeman, Wheeler, Smyth, Samuel. Subs: Yates, Jombati, Pattison, Kashket, Akinfenwa, Aarons, Parker.

Ipswich: Norris, Woolfenden, Chambers (c), Wilson, Edwards, Downes, Huws, Garbutt, Judge, Jackson, Norwood. Subs: Holy, Nsiala, Kenlock, Bishop, El Mizouni, Dozzell, Keane. Referee: Robert Lewis (Shrewsbury).

Photo: TWTD

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