The Blues were held to their first 0-0 draw of the season by a determined Wrexham side making their first ever visit to Portman Road. Town dominated throughout but rarely forced visitors keeper Arthur Okonkwo to make anything other than relatively routine saves with Christian Walton wholly untroubled at the other end.

Manager Kieran McKenna made five changes from the side which won 4-1 away at Swansea before the international break with Cedric Kipre, Sindre Walle Egeli, Jaden Philogene, Chuba Akpom and Ivan Azon coming into the XI and Jacob Greaves, Kasey McAteer, Marcelino Nunez, Jack Clarke and George Hirst dropping to the bench.

For Wrexham, James McClean, Josh Windass and Sam Smith came into the team with former Blues striker Kieffer Moore, a starter in all the Welsh side’s previous league games, and on-loan Manchester City midfielder Issa Kabore dropping out with hamstring injuries, while another ex-Town forward, Nathan Broadhead, was a sub.

With raining falling heavily, Town threatened for the first time in the second minute, Darnell Furlong playing a ball in behind for Akpom, which the on-loan Ajax man only just failed to reach before it bounced off the wet surface through to Okonkwo in the visitors’ goal.

Within a minute, Furlong was played in on the right but his cutback failed to find a teammate. However, the ball was only knocked out as far as Walle Egeli, whose shot was straight at Okonkwo.

There was a scare for the Blues moments later when keeper Walton’s pass out from the back found Windass on the edge of the box but the former Sheffield Wednesday man was quickly closed down and his shot was blocked.

Town subsequently went through a shaky spell before regaining control, albeit without creating an opportunity until the 11th minute when Philogene was played in on the left and clipped over a dipping cross which McClean nodded over from off the line under the bar.

From the corner on the right, O’Shea nodded back in from the far post and Okonkwo turned it over for another flag-kick, this time from the left. The Town skipper headed that into the middle from deep, it was returned to him and his edge-of-the-area low strike flew not far wide of Okonkwo’s right post.

Just after the half hour, O’Shea’s excellent long diagonal pass found Philogene in space on the left, the former England U21 international taking it on round the defender rather than cutting in, before laying back to Leif Davis, whose low shot was too close to Okonkwo.

In the 25th minute, with Jack Taylor receiving treatment in the centre circle and the game having gone a little flat, Broadhead started warming up and was applauded by his old fans in the North Stand and was then hugged by former teammate Hirst.

Three minutes later, a wayward pass out from the back by Wrexham gifted the ball to Akpom around 30 yards out but the former Arsenal trainee seemed to be caught in two minds whether to shoot or pass and the ball was stabbed away from him as he drove towards the edge of the area.

On 37, with the game having remained less than enthralling, Town having seen a lot of the ball but without finding a way into the Wrexham final third, George Thomason was shown the first yellow card of the afternoon for a wild lunge through Akpom in front of the dugouts.

Town began to get up something of a head of steam as half-time approached with their fans getting behind them, sensing they needed to play their part.

In the 42nd minute, Akpom and Azon exchanged passes on the edge of the box, the ex-Middlesbrough man for a second appearing to be in on goal before being crowded out. Referee Dean Whitestone waved away hopeful Blues penalty appeals.

In the final scheduled minute, Philogene played a one-two with Taylor on the edge of the area as he cut inside and Okonkwo uncomfortably palmed his strike behind for a corner.

Town appealed for a penalty for handball by a Wrexham player as the ball was sent back in following the corner, before referee Whitestone ended the half.

The Blues had been in control for almost the entire 45 minutes with Wrexham not having threatened, aside from Windass’s early shot which was blocked a foot or so in front of him.

At the other end, Okonkwo had been forced into a number of saves but none which would have got the crowd on their feet.

While Town had had some moments of inspiration, they had huffed and puffed for long spells against the visitors, whose intention to frustrate them had been clear from the off.

With the deluge continuing, the Blues made a fast start to the second half, Philogene hitting a shot from just outside the area which bounced in front of Okonkwo, who chested it away in an unorthodox manner and got away with it.

Three minutes after the restart, Ben Sheaf was booked for flying into the back of Azor Matusiwa’s ankles, moments after Sam Smith had got away with a more serious foul, catching the Dutchman with a high boot.

Town almost broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Philogene hit another effort from the edge of the box which struck Akpom, who had a sight at goal. The advancing Okonkwo blocked and the ball fell loose, but behind both Akpom and Azon. Moments later, Kipre was booked for a foul on Smith.

The Blues continued to push, a stray pass on the edge of the Wrexham area almost finding Philogene. Then on 54, after a strong Akpom run into the left of the box, Walle Egeli shot just over from just beyond the 18-yard line.

As the hour approached, with rain falling perhaps even more heavily, Town found themselves in the rare position of breaking with Wrexham having committed men forward. Akpom burst forward with Azon in space to his left but opted to shoot rather than pass and his effort was blocked.

The Red Dragons made a double change in the 61st minute, Lewis O’Brien and Matty James replacing Thomason and Sheaf.

Three minutes later, after losing the ball just inside the Wrexham half, Matusiwa was booked for a foul on Smith.

Town took the opportunity to make their first changes, Hirst and Clarke replacing Azon and Philogene.

On 68, the Blues worked the ball from left to right, Taylor eventually hitting a shot from the edge but again too close to Okonkwo. A minute later, Akpom looped a header well over from a corner on the right when he will feel he ought to have done better.

Broadhead took to the field as a replacement for Windass in the 70th minute to applause from his old supporters.

Town made two more changes in the 75th minute, Jens Cajuste and Nunez taking over from Taylor and Akpom.

In the 79th minute, Ryan Longman inexplicably passed across field straight to Walle Egeli on the Town right, the Norwegian youngster taking it on before hitting a shot which once again was too close to Okonkwo in the Wrexham goal.

Wrexham won their first corner in the 82nd minute, Town defending it without an issue, before McAteer replaced Walle Egeli on 84, then a minute later the Red Dragons swapped Smith for Ryan Hardie.

O’Brien was booked for blocking Clarke as the Blues forward looked to take the ball into the Wrexham half, then Hardie was fortunate not to join his teammate for two fouls on Cajuste within 30 seconds.

From the free-kick following the second, Davis curled to far post, the ball falling to McAteer at a tight angle but the Irish international sliced across the face and well wide when he should have scored.

As the game moved into four minutes of additional time, a Clarke cross from the left was flicked on and Hirst looped a header straight at Okonkwo.

Clarke smashed a shot against a defender on the edge of the area, but the Welshmen were able to see out the remaining minutes without further concerns, their fans cheering the whistle as if they had won a big victory.

A frustrating afternoon for Town, who were in charge and on top throughout but found themselves up against a determined Wrexham rearguard, who secured the point they very evidently came for.

The Blues had plenty of shooting opportunities, 19 shots, eight on target, but Okonkwo was perhaps only forced to make save beyond the routine, from Akpom after Philogene’s shot had fallen to the former Boro man.

Wrexham, who have now recorded three successive clean sheets, rarely committed men forward but Town twice had chances to break on them in the second half, Akpom wasting the best of the two when he opted to shoot rather than passing to Azon.

McAteer failed to take the big chance at the end with the Blues otherwise having had few clear sights at goal all afternoon.

Town last drew 0-0 away at Brighton in September last year with the most recent Portman Road stalemate with Watford in the Championship earlier in 2024.

The draw sees the Blues drop a place to eighth in the division, a point off the play-offs and still six from the top two ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Hull City.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor (Cajuste 75), Walle Egeli (McAteer 84), Akpom (Nunez 75), Philogene (J Clarke 65), Azon (Hirst 65). Unused: Button, Johnson, Greaves, Young. 

Wrexham: Okonkwo, Cleworth, Scarr, Hyam, Longman, Dobson, Sheaf (James 61), Thomason (O’Brien 61), McClean (c), Windass (Broadhead 70), Smith (Hardie 85). Unused: Burton, Doyle, Coady, Barnett, Ashfield. Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northampton). Att: 29,147.

Photo: Matchday Images