Goals from Conor Chaplin, Massimo Luongo and Nathan Broadhead have given Town a 3-0 half-time lead over Millwall at Portman Road.

Town boss Kieran McKenna made three changes from the team which lost 2-0 at West Brom on Saturday with Axel Tuanzebe, Harry Clarke and Luongo coming into the team.

Tuanzebe started at right centre-half with Luke Woolfenden on the bench, Clarke returned at right-back for Brandon Williams, who missed out with a knock, while Luongo came back into his central midfield role with Jack Taylor also among the substitutes.

Omari Hutchinson, who missed the weekend trip to the Hawthorns having been ill, is back on the bench.

For Millwall, Shaun Hutchinson, who skippered, and Aidomo Emahku came into the side for Jake Cooper and George Honeyman, who dropped to the bench. Former Blues keeper Bartosz Bialkowski started for the Lions.

Prior to kick-off there was a minute’s applause for ex-England, Spurs, QPR and Barcelona manager Terry Venables, who died at the end of last week.

After some scruffy early moments with the pre-match fog becoming thicker, the Blues went in front via the first serious attack of the game in the fifth minute.

Skipper Sam Morsy fed Wes Burns on the right and the Welshman took the ball round the outside of Ryan Longman before lifting a cross into the box. George Hirst nodded down and back to Chaplin, who smashed a shot into the turf and past Millwall keeper Bialkowski to his left.

Chaplin’s seventh goal of the season was Town’s first opening goal in a game since the Bristol City match seven matches and just over a month ago.

And it didn’t take long for the Blues to make it 2-0. In the 12th minute, following some intricate passing on the edge of the box, Burns played the ball into Chaplin’s feet just inside the area and the earlier scorer played it back to Luongo, who took a touch before slamming a shot past Bialkowski to his left with the Polish keeper unmoved. It was the Australian’s second goal of the season.

Town quickly went about looking for a third. On 14, Chaplin sent Burns away on the right and the Wales international crossed for Hirst, who hit a first-time strike which Bialkowski finger-tipped over the bar.

Millwall threatened for the first time in the 19th minute, Brooke Norton-Cuffey bringing the ball forward before hitting a shot which deflected off Broadhead, causing Vaclav Hladky to palm it behind down to his left.

On 23, Longman struck a low effort from the left of the box which Hladky again dealt with confidently. Two minutes later, Luongo was booked for a foul on Emakhu.

However, the Blues were largely still well in control and in the 27th minute went very close to making it 3-0.

Chaplin moved the ball across the field to Burns breaking towards the area and the Welshman took it on before hitting a powerful shot which beat Bialkowski but slammed off the keeper’s left post and away from goal.

Just after the half hour mark, Longman crossed from the left and Tom Bradshaw flicked a heel at the ball but was unable to get any power on his effort and Hladky claimed with comfort.

In the 33rd minute, Chaplin threaded in Morsy on the right of the box and the Egyptian international shot not too far over from a tight angle. Four minutes later, Zian Flemming was yellow-carded for a foul on Luongo.

Town had remained well in charge and their third goal came in the 39th minute. After an attack had broken down and been cleared by Longman, Cameron Burgess brought it forward from the back and fed Leif Davis on the left. The former Leeds man clipped over a cross and Broadhead nodded his seventh goal of the season into the ground and past Bialkowski to the former Blues’ keeper’s right. The goal took Davis’s assist haul for the season to eight.

That was the last action of a half in which the Blues had been in almost total control for most of the half and well worth of their three excellent goals.

The returning Bialkowski couldn’t be blamed for any of them with Town playing their way through the visitors at will at times with Burns unfortunate not to have scored another.

The Blues ought to now go on and add to their lead in the second half with the likes of Hutchinson, Dane Scarlett and Freddie Ladapo likely to be eagerly awaiting their introduction at around the hour mark.

Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst. Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Ball, Taylor, Hutchinson, Harness, Jackson, Scarlett, Ladapo.

Millwall: Bialkowski, Wallace, Hutchinson (c), Bradshaw, Flemming, Longman, Norton-Cuffy, Emakhu, Saville, De Norre, Harding. Subs: Sarkic, Cooper, Nisbet, Mitchell, Campbell, Leonard, Esse, Honeyman, Adom-Malaki. Referee: Thomas Bramall (Sheffield).

Photo: Matchday Images

blueboy1981 added 21:05 - Nov 29 Great First Half Guys ! - now let’s see a Clean Sheet tonight, and maybe even another Goal !! Well Done !
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