Jack Taylor’s goal on the stroke of half-time has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead over Hoffenheim at the Kufstein Arena.

Omari Hutchinson was named in the XI for his first game of pre-season on the left of the attacking three, having been out with a minor niggle, with Conor Chaplin in the centre and Marcus Harness on the right. Liam Delap was the lone striker.

Skipper Sam Morsy was joined by Taylor in the centre of midfield with Jacob Greaves and Luke Woolfenden the centre-halves, Leif Davis and Ben Johnson the full-backs and Aro Muric in goal.

George Hirst was a notable new absentee, while Burns, who suffered an ankle injury against Fortuna Düsseldorf, was among the subs. Youngsters Ryan Carr, Leon Ayinde and Osman Foyo were also on the bench.

After a heavy pre-match deluge had subsided, the Blues started brightly, Harness playing a ball through for Delap on six which was overhit, then on 10 Morsy wafted a free-kick to the left post but Woolfenden was adjudged to have committed a foul.

Three minutes later, Davis whipped a freekick over from the left and Chaplin headed sharply just over the bar.

On 19, Morsy fouled Tom Bischof on halfway and was probably lucky to escape a card, then Delap annoyed the Hoffenheim fans in the sparse crowd by clattering into the German side’s captain Oliver Baumann as the keeper looked to clear.

Eight minutes later, after Hoffenheim had had a spell in the Town final third but having had a tight move into the area snuffed out, Davis sought to make the most of a Baumann error but shot into the side-netting from a tight angle.

In the 36th minute, with the Blues keeping Hoffenheim pinned back in their final third, Morsy unleashed a 25-yard effort which curled away and just over to Baumann’s left.

As the half moved towards its final five minutes, Johnson broke forward on the right before shooting across the face and wide.

On 42, Delap was thwarted by Baumann after turning his man, taking it towards goal and hitting a shot which the keeper plucked out of the air to his left.

The Blues were looking more threatening and a minute later they took the lead. Davis played a corner on the right short to Hutchinson, who took it inside before playing a low ball which beat Chaplin but found an unmarked Taylor, who slammed into the net from eight yards.

Moments before the end of the scheduled 45 minutes, Town almost scored again via the same route. Davis and Hutchinson played the same corner and this time the former Chelsea man crossed to the far post from where Greaves headed just wide, the ex-Hull City defender clearly annoyed that he’d missed.

There was time for another chance in the one minute of time added-on, Town breaking forward and Harness finding Chaplin on the left of the box but his shot was wide.

Town had ended the half creating chances after a period of few opportunities but with the Blues having been very comfortable and on top throughout, keeper Muric having been a virtual spectator and Hoffenheim not having managed a shot off target let alone one on with their forays into the final third very rare.

Town: Muric, Johnson, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Taylor, Harness, Chaplin, Hutchinson, Delap. Subs: Walton, Tuanzebe, Edmundson, Burgess, Townsend, Luongo, Carr, Burns, Foyo, Ayinde, Ladapo.

Hoffenheim: Baumann (c), Kaderabek, Drexler, Prömel, Bischof, Bebou, Tach, Bülter, Akpoguma, Kramaric, Moerstedt. Subs: Phillip, Grillitsch, Beier, Samassekou, Bruun Larsen, Damar, Szalai, Micheler, Behrens, Strobl, Kalambayi.

Photo: ITFC

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