First-half goals from Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor saw Town safely into round four of the FA Cup after a very comfortable 3-0 victory over League One Bristol Rovers at Portman Road. Phillips opened the scoring with a low shot on 18, Clarke stabbed home from close range six minutes later and Taylor added a controversial third on 37 with Ali Al-Hamadi missing a second-half penalty.
Boss Kieran McKenna made 10 changes with Luke Woolfenden, who skippered his local club for the first time, the only survivor from the 2-2 draw at Fulham a week ago.
Aro Muric returned in goal with new signing Ben Godfrey, given a big cheer when his name was read out over the PA, making his debut at right-back and Conor Townsend his home debut at left-back. Woolfenden was reunited with Cameron Burgess at the heart of the defence.
In midfield, Phillips was partnered by Massimo Luongo with Wes Burns, Taylor and Clarke the three behind striker Al-Hamadi. The bench was made up of first-team regulars with Cieran Slicker the sub keeper. George Hirst made his return to the squad after his knee injury.
League One Rovers made two changes with Connor Taylor and new signing Romaine Sawyers coming in for Jamie Lindsay and one-time Blues loanee Thomas, who were both on the bench.
Ex-Town James Wilson and Grant Ward started, as did Suffolk-born former Norwich striker Chris Martin.
Town began on the front foot and went close for the first time in the second minute, Burgess flicking a header over at the near post from Townsend’s corner from the right, a Luongo cross towards Burns having been nodded behind.
The Blues won a series of early corners, but were unable to trouble visitors keeper Josh Griffiths, an England U21 international on loan from West Brom.
On 13, the Blues had what looked a decent shout for a penalty when Clarke tried to go between two defenders on the left of the area and appeared to be brought down by Shaq Forde, however, referee Oliver Langford showed no interest.
Taylor scuffed a shot well wide from the edge of the box, then on the quarter-hour, the Blues went close again from a corner, Burgess heading against a defender, then Al-Hamadi’s follow-up was straight at the keeper.
But the majority of the 27,678-strong crowd didn’t have to wait too much longer to see their side to go in front.
After a cross from the right had been cleared in the 18th minute, Clarke squared to Phillips just over 20 yards out, the on-loan Manchester City man taking a touch before hitting a low shot past Griffiths to his right, the England international’s first goal for the club.
Five minutes later, it was 2-0. Taylor played a ball inside to Al-Hamadi in space on the right of the box, the Iraq international’s shot was blocked by ex-Town defender Wilson, but the ball ricocheted across the area and Clarke slid home his first goal for the Blues from six yards.
And in the 38th minute it was 3-0. Townsend drove forward and played a through ball which Al-Hamadi flicked on to Taylor just inside the area and the Irish international made slotted to Griffiths’s left.
Video evidence showed VAR would probably have disallowed it for offside had it been in operation with the former Peterborough man, who coincidentally scored his first goal for the Blues in the Carabao Cup against the Gas last season, well offside.
Town continued to look for goals, Taylor and Luongo exchanging passes on the right of the box in the 40th minute but the earlier scorer this time screwed well wide.
Three minutes later, keeper Muric caused a scare for the Blues with a pass out from the back which found Ruel Sotiriou. Fortunately for the Kosovan international, he was able to stop the Cypriot international’s low first-time shot with his foot.
In the final scheduled minute, following a corner on the right, Clarke played the ball across from the left towards Townsend, who air-kicked when the former West Brom man might also have been celebrating his first goal for the club.
That was the last action of a very comfortable 45 minutes for the Blues with any concerns regarding a repeat of last year’s shock defeat to Maidstone allayed by the three goals.
The Blues had dominated from start to finish and might have scored before Phillips rifled his low shot into the corner of the net.
Clarke took his opportunity clinically, a goal which will do the summer signing from Sunderland good, and Taylor his with similar aplomb but with Town profiting from VAR not being in operation.
Ahead of the second half, the Blues swapped Burns for Ben Johnson and five minutes after the restart they went close to scoring their fourth, Clarke sweeping the ball wide to Townsend, whose teasing cross was just too far in front of Al-Hamadi and Connor Taylor slid it behind ahead of Clarke, who had made a lung-busting run into the box.
In the 49th minute, Town were awarded their third penalty in three games. Townsend laid the ball off to Luongo on the edge of the area and the Australian international’s shot was blocked by ex-Blues midfielder Ward’s arm. Despite Rovers protests, referee Langford pointed straight to the spot.
Al-Hamadi took the kick but scuffed his effort well wide of Griffiths’s right post giving the travelling fans something to sing about for the first time all afternoon.
Play moved to the other end and new boy Godfrey made an important challenge inside the Blues box.
It was Luongo’s turn to air-kick soon afterwards a cross from the right by Johnson deflecting to the midfielder.
As the game reached the hour mark, a Johnson shot was blocked after Al-Hamadi had found him with a pass from the other flank.
Town continued to control the game and look for more goals with the Pirates every bit a side which is struggling at the wrong end of League One.
Rovers made a double change in the 68th minute, Forde and the entirely anonymous Martin making way for Gatlin O’Donkor and ex-Blues loanee Thomas.
The Blues made a double change of their own in the 73rd minute, switching Al-Hamadi, who won’t want to watch his penalty kick back, Taylor and Godfrey, who was comfortable and rarely seriously tested on his debut, for the returning Hirst, Nathan Broadhead and Harry Clarke. The Gas swapped Sawyers and Sotiriou for Lindsay and Isaac Hutchinson.
Town kept looking for goals with Townsend, excellent on his home debut at left-back, cutting back from the left to Broadhead but the Welshman’s first-time strike was blocked.
The Blues swapped their keepers for the final nine minutes, Slicker, who was called up to the full Scotland squad earlier in the season, making his third appearance for the club and second against Rovers at Portman Road, his previous two games for Town having been in the Carabao Cup last season.
Hirst wasn’t far away from making it 4-0 in the 82nd minute, the striker lifting the ball over the advancing Griffiths but the keeper getting enough on it to allow Wilson to clear in front of the line.
Rovers made their final sub in the 86th minute, Joel Senior taking over from Connor Taylor and, following one additional minute, referee Langford brought the game to an end.
A thoroughly dominant display by the Blues, who never looked in any danger of being on the wrong end of a cup upset once Phillips had put them in front. As in last year’s cup games, a much-changed side played very fluently.
They may be a little disappointed not to have added to their goals in the second half, particularly having been awarded their third penalty in three games, and having had plenty of chances with Pirates keeper Griffiths, who had a decent match for the visitors despite the scoreline.
New signing Godfrey had a solid game on his debut but wasn’t really tested by a disappointing Rovers attack.
Perhaps the brightest spark was Townsend, the summer signing making a belated home debut at left-back and at the heart of much of the Blues’ best play going forward and creating a number of chances, including Taylor’s fortunately allowed third goal.
A result Town will hope may prove to be an omen with their run to Wembley in 1978, the only year in which they won the competition, having included a 3-0 victory over Rovers at Portman Road, a fifth-round replay following a 2-2 draw at Eastville.
The Blues move on to the fourth round with the draw this evening following the completion of the Arsenal-Manchester United tie, which was level at 90 minutes and in extra-time.
