Liam Delap’s 12th goal of the season has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Portman Road.

Town named the same side which beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Alex Palmer, one of three ex-West Brom players in the XI, was in goal behind a back four of Axel Tuanzebe, Dara O’Shea, another former Baggie, Cameron Burgess and Conor Townsend, the other ex-Hawthorns favourite.

Skipper Sam Morsy, who started his career with hometown club Wolves, continued in central midfield alongside Jens Cajuste with the trio ahead of them, from the left, Julio Enciso, Nathan Broadhead and Ben Johnson. Delap was the number nine.

Leif Davis, who missed Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Bournemouth with a leg injury, was on the bench in the league for the first time since the 1-0 win at Burton in August 2022, but Omari Hutchinson again missed out with his hamstring issue.

Wolves were also unchanged from their 1-0 victory at home to West Ham on Tuesday evening with star striker Matheus Cunha suspended and manager Vitor Pereira and his assistant Luis Miguel both serving touchline bans. In their absence, first-team coach Andre Monteiro ran things from the dugout.

Ahead of kick-off, both teams took a knee with the Premier League promoting its No Room For Racism campaign this weekend. There was widespread applause but with some boos audible.

Town started brightly, keeping Wolves pinned back in their half as they probed for an early opening.

On four, after Cajuste had won back possession on halfway, Townsend sent over a dangerous cross from the left but no one was able to profit from it.

Wolves threatened for the first time on six, Joao Gomes breaking down the middle before feeding Rayan Ait-Nouri, who was red-carded in the melee after the whistle in the corresponding game at Molineux, on the left from where the Algerian international cut back to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who shot not too far over.

The visitors forced Palmer into his first save of the afternoon in the 11th minute, Jorgen Strand Larsen shooting low at his near post having been played in on the right of the area and the keeper bundling it behind.

From the corner, Toti headed into the ground and the ball looked to be looping under the bar until Palmer flicked it over for another flag-kick. This time, Delap half-cleared to Gomes in space on the edge of the box, but his low strike deflected behind for a third corner which came to nothing.

Town immediately won two flag-kicks of their own, then kept the play at the other end of the field and in the 16th minute Cajuste cleverly tried to play in Enciso on the left of the box, but the ball was forced out for a corner.

And in the aftermath of that flag-kick, the Blues went in front. Tuanzebe crossed deep from the left, O’Shea nodded back into the middle from beyond the far post and Delap turned home his 12th goal of the season and second in two games from close range.

After what seemed an unnecessarily lengthy VAR check for offside against Delap, with the striker appearing well onside when O’Shea headed back across, the goal was confirmed, to big cheers from the Portman Road faithful.

Wolves looked to hit back straight away and in the 20th minute they weren’t too far away. A looping Ait-Nouri corner from the right avoided everyone and would have nestled inside the post had O’Shea not turned it away from in front of the line ahead of Toti.

Three minutes later, Bellegarde tried to catch Palmer out with a free-kick from the left which he shaped to cross into the area before hitting low towards the near post, the ball going into the side-netting and Toti failing to add a touch before it went out.

In the 29th minute, following a Town free-kick, O’Shea wildly lashed a shot at a right angle from the right of the box across the area and out for a throw on the far side.

Moments later, after the Blues had quickly won back possession, Morsy strode forward before hitting a shot which Jose Sa in the Wolves goal was able to stop and then claim at the second attempt.

Town were comfortable at 1-0 with Wolves presenting little threat but with both teams giving the ball away too often and too easily.

However, on 36 there was a huge scare for the Blues. O’Shea played the ball back to Palmer from 25 yards out, but the keeper somehow allowed it under his boot under no pressure whatsoever. To his credit, the former West Brom man showed superb reactions to dive across to his right to push it off the line, but referee Peter Bankes blew up and awarded an indirect free-kick on the edge of the six-yard box for the keeper handling a back-pass.

Palmer was subsequently booked for rushing out of the pack of Town players filling the goalmouth before Wolves had taken the free-kick. The ball was eventually laid off to Emmanuel Agbadou but Morsy was fastest off the line to block, the ball looping behind for a corner, to a huge cheer from a relieved North Stand.

After Town had cleared the corner, a Wolves player appeared to kick out at Enciso when he was on the ground, an incident missed by the officials.

The Blues saw out the remainder of the half to go in 1-0 up at the break having taken their one big chance.

Town had started very brightly but without creating an opportunity before Wolves came into it more and threatening from set pieces and Strand Larsen’s effort from the right of the box.

But the Blues were never under any serious pressure and were largely in control of the game, albeit while not carving out any serious chances in the latter stages and surviving the back-pass free-kick.

Still a long way to go and there may well be further goals in the game, but Town are well-placed to take three points from the game and close the gap on the Old Gold and Premier League safety.

Town: Palmer, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend, Johnson, Morsy (c), Cajuste, Enciso, Broadhead, Delap. Subs: Walton, Davis, Woolfenden, Phillips, Taylor, Chaplin, Philogene, Clarke, Hirst.

Wolves: Sa, Doherty, Ait-Nouri, Munetsi, Andre, J Gomes, Strand Larsen, Agbadou, Semedo (c), Toti, Bellegarde. Subs: Johnstone, Bueno, Hee-Chan, R Gomes, Doyle, Sarabia, Forbs, Guedes, Djiga. Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside). VAR official: Andrew Madley.

Photo: Reuters

ValleyBoyBlue added 16:06 - Apr 5 Just imagining the absolute sheet storm on here if Muric had let that ball roll under his foot. Following this team is not good for the heart
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blueboy1981 added 16:35 - Apr 5 SEASON OVER !! - just had to be didn’t it ?
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blueboy1981 added 16:56 - Apr 5 …… back to Ground Zero - and having to prove superior to the Scum all over again ! It doesn’t get much worse. Well, CHAMPIONSHIP back on the AGENDA again in the Boardroom for Monday, I would hazard a sound enough guess.
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Leejames99 added 17:32 - Apr 5 That's it done, its on Mckenna today and I don't care what anyone says, he bought all those players for millions and sits them on bench so he can get the league 1 lads on and soon as he did we concede in seconds. Since when did Jack Taylor become a right winger and Chaplin a midfielder then put on Phillogene on left when J Clarke plays left and Phillogene can play right. Those new signings will want away why did we buy players? Phillips, Clarke, Woolf all on bench. I feel people will get their wish and we will do a Luton, last year was a fluke season because Saramento and Hutchinson hit form and some players decent Championship players. All we have done is been a shop window for our good players. You are not going to win a game playing 6 league 1 lads for half an hour in the Prem. Club has 40 million losses so Delap sale cover that, O'Shea, Burgess, Tunazabe, Hutchinson, Phillogene, Delap and J Clarke will ago, J Clarke won't want to sit on bench in Chsmpionship. I said we should of stuck with Muric, all keepers make mistakes, but Palmer and Muric most likely both go and Walton, Slicker be 1 amd 2. Starting 11 on first day of the season in Championship will almost 100% be Walton H Clarke Baggott Woolfenden Davis Morsy Humphries Broadhead Burns Hirst Mckenna had a free pass this season but I don't think the board will be happy to see a 2 x 20 mill wingers sitting on bench and bringing on a 500k midfielder to play out of position and taking all our best players off to swap with his favourites, that's not management, there will be fine margins, bad ref, could of won no doubt about that, part of the journey, stick to the plan nonsense. For me Mckenna and the lads from past have served us well but I think Mckenna is too sentimental and if I was board I'd go and get Sean Dyche ASAP who knows how to get a team straight back up, move on the old boys, try keep Cajuste, and our new signings and start a new era. There is no pointing sticking with Taylor, Morsy, Burns, Davis etc because we know they aren't good enough for Prem and with Wrexham and Birmingham coming up with deep pockets, 2 or 3 of the big boys will still be there it will be no stroll to get up again. It's been a great journey and all them lads and Mckenna have had a good journey but if we don't move on we will go the same way as Huddersfield, Luton, Sunderland, West Brom, Hull, Norwich, Watford etc there are loads of teams who couldn't get back up. Today was a must win game at home and Mckenna makes those subs, I could see it coming. Go and get Dyche or Gerrard Mr Ashton or Southgate or someone who can make big calls

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