Goals from Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer have seen the Blues into a 2-1 half-time lead over Birmingham City at Portman Road, the visitors having gone ahead through Carlos Vicente.

Town made two changes from the team which drew 1-1 at home with Millwall just over a fortnight ago with Marcelino Nunez, who had been out and George Hirst coming back into the side.

Nunez, who has been out for a month with a hamstring injury, replaces Anis Mehmeti as the number 10 with the Albania international on the bench. Hirst came in as the number nine for Ivan Azon, who is absent from the 20-man squad.

Cedric Kipre was back on the bench having served his two-match ban, but with Leif Davis still missing as he serves the last game of his suspension.

For Birmingham, under-fire manager Chris Davies made seven changes from the team which lost 1-0 at home to Blackburn on Good Friday with Bright Osayi-Samuel, Phil Neumann, Jonathan Panzo, Jhon Solis, Vicente, Demarai Gray and August Priske coming into the team with Ethan Laird, Jack Robinson, Tomoki Iwata, Tommy Doyle, Patrick Roberts, Ibrahim Osman and Marvin Ducksch dropping to the bench.

Town began very positively, Nunez charging the ball down midway inside the Birmingham half as Panzo sought to clear before playing it to McAteer to his right, the Irish international taking a touch before hitting a shot just over.

Birmingham weren’t too far away from going in front with their first attack of the game in the fifth minute. Gray sent a deep free-kick over from the left which reached Vicente beyond the far post from where the Spaniard struck a shot across goal which Johnson diverted behind.

But it was mainly Town and on 12 McAteer fed Hirst in the area but the Scotland international’s first touch let him down and the ball ran to visiting keeper James Beadle.

Five minutes later, after good work from Hirst, Nunez played in McAteer but a defender got across to clear ahead of the former Leicester man.

Just head of the half hour, Jacob Greaves was hauled down in the box by Panzo as a corner from the left was sent over by Jack Clarke. The defender was adamant the Blues should have been awarded a penalty but referee Adam Herczeg showed no interest.

On 32, Town should have taken the lead. McAteer broke through on goal after stabbing the ball past a defender but hit his low shot too close to Beadle, who saved down to his right.

Within a minute, the Blues were made to pay as the Midlanders took the lead. One-time Town target Jay Stansfield crossed from the left and, as with the earlier Birmingham chance, Vicente was found unmarked at the back of the box from where he struck a low shot across Christian Walton and into the net.

Gray was booked for kicking the ball away to stop Town taking a free-kick in the 37th minute, before the Blues were forced into a change, Azor Matusiwa, who earlier had had his thigh taped up, making way for Mehmeti ahead of a 25-year Nunez free-kick which hit the wall, knocking over the player who had got in the way.

Mehmeti took up the number 10 role with Nunez moving back and Dan Neil taking up the deeper central midfield role.

And two minutes after coming on, the former Bristol City man was involved in Town’s equaliser. He and McAteer kept the ball alive on the byline on the right, before laying it back to Darnell Furlong, who looped a cross towards the back post where Johnson scuffed goalwards, Neumann attempting to hook away but with the ball already well behind the line, as the referee’s technology confirmed.

The Blues’ support were still celebrating Johnson’s first league goal of the season - in addition to his Carabao Cup strike at Bromley - when Town took the lead in the 45th minute.

Clarke played in Hirst on the edge of the box, the striker feeding McAteer, who was making a strong run to his right. The pass was inch-perfect for the Irishman, who this time shot low past Beadle to the keeper’s right to claim his first goal for the Blues.

The wideman, who hasn’t had the easiest of seasons since moving from the Foxes in the summer, celebrated gleefully, with the Portman Road crowd roaring in appreciation after his name was read out over the PA.

Town kept up the pressure as the game moved into six additional minutes, Hirst heading into Beadle’s arms following a corner on the right, then Mehmeti shooting low from the right of the area to the keeper.

The Blues were cheered off at the break having turned the game around having gone behind, a rare occurrence this season and one still to end in victory.

In truth, the Birmingham goal had come very much against the run of play with Town having been the better side but without creating too many clear-cut chances, aside from McAteer’s effort moments before the visitor went in front.

But the Blues’ performance had stepped up a level from an attacking perspective once Mehmeti was introduced, the sub playing a role in Johnson’s goal and with Town looking a more dangerous prospect overall.

McAteer, who has got himself in good positions all season but without taking his opportunities, kept his head up despite not taking his first chance and was clearly delighted to take his second, his first goal since netting against the Blues for Leicester in the penultimate game of last season.

A third Town goal in the second half would appear to be enough to win it with Birmingham having shown little throughout the first period.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Johnson, Matusiwa (Mehmeti 39), Neil, McAteer, Nunez, Clarke, Hirst. Subs: Palmer, Kipre, Baggott, Taylor, Cajuste, Walle Egeli, Philogene, Akpom.

Birmingham: Beadle, Osayi-Samuel, Neumann, Klarer (c), Panzo, Solis, Paik, Vicente, Stansfield, Gray, Priske. Subs: Allsop, Laird, Robinson, Iwata, Doyle, Roberts, Kanya, Osman, Ducksch. Referee: Adam Herczeg (Durham).

Photo: Matchday Images