Town went back to second in the Championship after defeating now relegated Rotherham 4-3 at Portman Road. The scoreline ought to have been far more emphatic but complacent defending gifted the Millers three goals.

The Blues stuck with the side which beat Derby 3-2 on Saturday. Rotherham included former Town defender Chris Swailes, now 34, in their starting line-up, while ex-loanee Paolo Vernazza was on their bench.

It was the visitors who had the first chance of the game, Kelvin Davis saving a 25-yarder from Tony Thorpe, the striker currently on loan from QPR. Darren Bent struck Town's first effort soon after, Mike Pollitt failing to hold his shot but Millers' defenders clearing the danger.

On four, Richard Naylor made an important block on Martin Butler as the former Cambridge United striker prepared to shoot from close in, Jason De Vos having failed to deal with a high ball under pressure from two Millers' players.

The Blues went ahead in the sixth minute. Darren Bent played the ball wide to Darren Currie on the left and the former Brighton man chipped a cross into the box from where Ian Westlake headed home unmarked.

Town were well on top and passing the ball around with ease. On 14 Bent burst through a number of defenders on the left and stabbed the ball wide of Pollitt but also the post. Soon after, Currie powerfully shot over the bar from 25 yards.

A move involving innumerable passes ended with Ian Westlake shooting wide, before the Blues went two in front. Kuqi flicked the ball on to Miller who sent Bent away behind the defence with a header. The England U21 allowed the ball to bounce once before lashing the ball to the right of the keeper and into the net from just outside the box.

Fans were still settling down after the goal celebrations when Rotherham pulled one back. Jason De Vos missed a long ball down the middle which found Thorpe. No one closed the striker down and he was allowed to take his time and pick his spot.

The goal was harsh on Town who had fully deserved their two-goal lead against opposition who had spent much of the time chasing shadows.

Shefki Kuqi wasn't far from restoring the two-goal advantage from a Fabian Wilnis's throw-in on 34. Jason De Vos flicked on at the near post and the Finn headed against the cross-bar.

In the 41st minute the Blues again came close. De Vos mis-headed a Currie corner out to the left where Bent picked it up. The frontman laid the ball back to Richard Naylor on the edge of the area but the central defender's shot flew over the bar.

Just before the break, Westlake sent Bent away down the right with a superb ball, the striker skinning his defender and crossing for Kuqi. The Finnish international's first effort was blocked and despite being grounded he managed another but that went wide.

Town had dominated the first half and despite the poor goal conceded the mood on the terraces was very upbeat, particularly given Sunderland's first half lead at Wigan. The Blues had been well in control of the game with Rotherham's only real threat coming from the pacy runs of Jamal Campbell-Ryce down the left.

The Millers went after an equaliser two minutes after the break when Paul Hurst crossed from the left and John Mullin headed to Kelvin Davis's right, the keeper doing well to save.

But a third Town goal wasn't that long in coming. In the 57th minute Westlake and Kuqi exchanged passes inside the area on the right, the former Academy trainee sending a low ball across the six-yard box for Darren Bent to stab in his second of the game and his 18th of the season.

Three minutes later it was four. Currie played the ball inside to Magilton 25 yards out and the skipper hit a low drive beyond Pollitt and into the net. The Northern Irishman, scoring for the second time in two games after a barren 18 months, celebrated passionately in front of the North Stand.

Tommy Miller shot over from inside the area, before more defensive lapses led to a second Rotherham goal. Jason De Vos failed to clear a cross from the right, the ball eventually falling for Campbell-Ryce whose low 20-yard shot was too hot for Kelvin Davis to hold on to. Martin Butler reacted quickest and tapped in the rebound.

Millers' caretaker-manager Alan Knill surprisingly substituted Campbell-Ryce in the 70th minute, former Town loanee Paolo Vernazza taking over. The ex-Charlton trainee's pace down the left had given the Town defence more than a few problems, particularly in the first half, and he was warmly applauded off by the Town support who even called for the Blues' board to "sign him up".

Town made a switch of their own a minute later, Matt Richards taking over from Tommy Miller as the Blues moved to 3-5-2.

Kuqi wasted a good chance when the ball got caught under his feet in a promising position on the left, before the same player narrowly went wide with a header from a Currie corner.

Currie showed carelessness typical of Town's second half performance when he lost the ball to Thorpe inside his own half. Fortunately for the Blues' number 10 Kelvin Davis saved Martin Butler's subsequent strike.

There was further rash defending in the 79th minute when David Unsworth fouled Butler just outside the area. Town were perhaps unfortunate that Martin McIntosh's freekick hit the wall and looped over Davis and into the net.

At 4-1 to Town, a Rotherham comeback had seemed an impossibility and it was more several of the Blues' players seeming to sit back and relax than the Millers' own endeavours which had got them back into the match.

On 82 one of the linesmen was replaced after picking up a hamstring injury, the replacement warming up in a very purposeful manner along one of the touchlines much the crowd's amusement.

Despite the nerviness the third Rotherham goal had injected into proceedings, Town continued to have chances. Bent had a shot on the turn saved by Pollit and then was close to taking down a high ball from Magilton inside the area.

With three minutes remaining, the Millers came as close as they would get to an equaliser, Jason De Vos making an inch perfect challenge on sub Shaun Barker inside the area with the Rotherham man well-placed. Late on, Horlock replaced Currie as the Blues sought to protect their by now flimsy lead.

The 4-3 scoreline suggests it was a close game, but it really should have been far more comfortable for a Town side which dominated virtually from the off, perhaps with the exception of some late edginess after the Millers' third goal.

Town were caught with minds elsewhere immediately after scoring their second goal and then got over-confident and careless at the back once they had established a three-goal lead.

In the end the earlier goals proved enough and the late scare illustrates the importance of keeping going for 90 minutes and not taking feet off pedals.

The Blues are now back in second position, ahead of Wigan who face a resurgent Cardiff at Ninian Park on Saturday, two days before the Blues visit draw connoisseurs Wolves.

Town: Davis, Wilnis, Unsworth, De Vos, Naylor, Magilton, Miller (Richards 71), Currie (Horlock 87), Westlake, Kuqi, Bent. Unused: Price, Scowcroft, Couñago. Att: 26,017.

Photo: Action Images

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