Town suffered last-gasp penalty heartbreak of a different variety as Stoke City netted a 96th-minute penalty to claim a 3-3 draw from a topsy-turvy game at the bet365 Stadium. Goals from Milan Smit and Bae Junho in a disastrous final 10-minute spell at the end of the first half gave the Potters a 2-0 half-time lead but an own goal by Eric Bocat and strikes from Jack Taylor and George Hirst looked to have won it until the home side were harshly awarded a penalty after Cedric Kipre and Jens Cajuste tangled with Lamine Cisse in the box and Smit bagged his second of the game from the spot.

The Blues made two changes from the side which drew 1-1 at home with Leicester at the weekend with Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke coming into the team for Dan Neil and Marcelino Nunez, who missed out due to a hamstring injury. Neil dropped to the bench with Ben Johnson back among the subs.

Stoke made five changes from the team which lost 2-0 at Swansea at the weekend with former Colchester right-back Junior Tchamadeu making his first start since suffering an injury while at the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon.

Maksym Talovierov returned at centre-half, while Tomas Rigo was in midfield and forwards Million Manhoef and Smit also came back into the XI.

Sorba Thomas missed out following his red card against the Swans with captain Ben Wilmot, who suffered a season-ending injury at the weekend, and Ben Pearson, who was ill, also among 12 senior players absent, along with ex-Blues left-back Aaron Cresswell. Ben Gibson, Steven Nzonzi and Cisse dropped to the bench.

Defender Ashley Phillips, 20, who is on loan from Tottenham, captained for the first time, while the bench featured four U21s players, Syd Agina, Pijus Otegbayo, Jerome Osei and Chinonso Chibueze.

Town won an early corner but in typically windy bet365 Stadium conditions the home side were first to threaten in the fifth minute, Junho breaking away on the left and playing inside to Rigo, whose low shot was saved with his knee by Christian Walton. The ball came back out to Smit but his effort scuffed through to the Blues keeper.

Walton required treatment two minutes later when Tchamadeu broke into the area on the right and slid in on the keeper as he claimed. The ex-Colchester man seemed to come off worse but both were able to continue after a handshake.

The Blues had started slowly with the home side taking the game to them but in the 16th minute Ivan Azon fed Wes Burns wide on the right and the Wales international’s low cross was diverted out for a corner.

Following the flag-kick, which was very deep due to the windy conditions, Burns fed Leif Davis just outside the area and the left-back hit a shot which deflected wide.

In the wake of that corner, Burns sent the ball back in to Kipre at the far post and the Ivorian headed against the outside of the woodwork.

Stoke were next to threaten, Junho cutting in from the left and hitting a shot which Walton palmed behind.

Town claimed a penalty in the 24th minute, Azon cutting in from the left and shooting against Clarke, the ball also appearing to strike Talovierov’s arm. Referee Thomas Kirk showed no interest and Davis scuffed a subsequent effort wide.

A minute later, Azon headed wide at the near post from a Davis corner, the wind holding the ball up as it came across.

Neither side threatened again until the 36th minute when Stoke took the lead. Davis played the ball down the left to Azon, who was furious Talovierov shoved him off the ball.

The Ukrainian brought it forward and fed Manhoef, who was initially tackled by Kipre, Town ambitiously claiming it was handled by the Dutchman, before he nutmegged the defender, then hit a shot which slammed off the post to the edge of the box. Rigo scuffed the rebound but Smit turned it home from close range with Town claiming offside but with replays showing they had no argument.

Clarke was booked on 41 for a frustrated trip on Tchamadeu as the right-back burst towards the final third in space.

And three minutes later, Town’s first half got even worse. A free-kick was played from the edge of the area out to Taylor, who lost out to Rigo, who quickly moved it on to Junho, who confidently slammed past Walton to the delight of the home fans and the horror of the Blues midfielder lying prone on the deck.

That was the last of the half with the Town team looking shell-shocked after a disastrous end to the period.

Having started poorly, the Blues got themselves on top and had chances to go in front, but after conceding the first Stoke goal, which came from a litany of errors, and, as in the games against Charlton, Sheffield United and Leicester earlier in the season, quickly gave away another goal.

Town were probably fortunate half-time came when it did, allowing manager Kieran McKenna to attempt to restore some composure ahead of the second period.

The second half began scrappily from both teams but four minutes in, the Blues pulled a goal back.

Davis brought the ball in from the left and played it out to Burns on the right. The Welshman took it to the edge of the box before hitting a shot which clipped Bocat and wrong-footed home keeper Tommy Simkin, the strike subsequently awarded as an own goal.

Buoyed by the goal, the Blues went looking for another, Talovierov turning a Mehmeti through ball for Burns behind with keeper Simkin rooted to his line.

From the corner, Burns went close again, rising highest at the near post but sending his header just wide with the Town fans in the corner away to his left initially thinking it had gone in.

On 56, after a long spell of Blues possession, Taylor unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the box which Simkin just about kept out. The loose ball fell to Burns wide on the right but not in a position where the Welshman could shoot. Soon after, Azor Matusiwa shot over from 20 yards.

Three minutes later, Taylor was yellow-carded for a very late challenge on Tatsuki Seko on halfway.

As the game moved towards the hour, Mehmeti played a superb ball from deep into the path of Azon, but the Spaniard scuffed his first-time shot and Simkin saved.

On 62, with Town completely dominating and Stoke under almost constant pressure, Clarke battled his way to the edge of the area before hitting a shot which Simkin did well to palm wide to his right.

Two minutes later, the Blues levelled. Darnell Furlong sent over a long throw from the right, the ball was headed to the edge and Taylor went from villain to hero by slamming a volley into the ground and past Simkin to his right before celebrating his second goal of the season in front of the Town support.

In the 69th minute, the Blues made their first changes of the evening, Taylor and Azon making way for Jens Cajuste and George Hirst. Stoke also made two changes, Tchamadeu and Bocat making way for Gibson and 18-year-old debutant Agina.

On 74, Walton did well to bat a low curling corner from the right off his line as Stoke suddenly had a spell on top.

Within a minute they should have restored their lead. Junho did superbly to get to the byline on the right of the area before clipping a cross to the far post where stand-in skipper Phillips headed over the bar when he should have scored.

Town swapped Burns for Kasey McAteer as the game moved into its final quarter of an hour.

In the 81st minute, McAteer sent over a brilliant ball to the far post which Mehmeti hit first time on the volley but a defender deflected behind for the first of two corners.

And following the second, the Blues went in front. After the flag-kick was cleared, Matusiwa cut out the break, beat Junho to the loose then fed Kipre, who played a brilliant pass between the two Stoke central defenders through to Hirst, who shot low under Simkin and into the net to send the Town fans in the corner wild.

Following the Scotland international’s ninth goal of the season, his third in his last three games off the bench, the Blues switched Matusiwa, who now has to see out only one more game without a yellow card before the cut-off, and Clarke for Neil and Ben Johnson, Cisse having replaced Junho for the home side moments earlier.

Stoke went looking for an equaliser, Seko blazing well over prior to the fourth official indicating five additional minutes.

Mehmeti was booked for a shove two minutes into added on time, then Hirst brought the ball into the right of the area before shooting well over.

Then, with the game seeming won, Stoke were awarded a penalty from which they levelled.

Furlong twice missed his kick as he sought to get the ball away and it found its way into the area where Cisse went to ground under the attentions of Cajuste and Kipre. Whether their presence had anything to do with the sub going to ground is very debatable but referee Kirk pointed straight to the spot, much to the anger and shock of the Town team, players and staff. Kipre was booked, taking his tally to 10 and a ban for the next two matches.

Smit took the kick and hit it low and hard to Walton’s left to level the scores and send those home fans who remained in the ground into raptures.

Town sought desperately to get ahead again in the remaining seconds, a long throw from the left falling to skipper Dara O’Shea on the edge of the box but the Irishman’s shot flew just over the bar.

The final whistle came soon after to confirm a point which the Blues would probably have taken at the break but which felt like a defeat given the fightback and having all but seen out a first ever win at the bet365 Stadium and a first comeback victory since Southampton almost two years ago.

After an atrocious end to the first half, the second period got off to the ideal start with the Blues getting an early goal and then dominating most of the rest of the half and scoring twice more to give themselves what should have been an unassailable lead.

But as was case against Hull last week, Town failed to manage out the remaining minutes, allowing the Potters a sniff at the end and the referee an opportunity to give the penalty.

Having been the victims of a poor decision after a penalty wasn’t awarded in the closing seconds of the 1-1 draw with Leicester, the Blues were at the wrong end of another refereeing error tonight, although while also making mistakes in the build-up.

Fourth-placed Town, who are now three points behind Millwall in third but with a game in hand, will have to regroup ahead of Saturday’s visit to Sheffield Wednesday.

Stoke: Simkin, Tchamadeu (Gibson 70), Bocat (Agina 70), Phillips, Talovierov, Rigo, Seko, Rak-Sakyi, Manhoef, Junho (Cisse 84), Smit. Unused: Fielding, Otegbayo, Kelly, Nzonzi, Osei, Chibueze.

Ipswich: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea, Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa (Neil 86), Taylor (Cajuste 69), Burns (McAteer 75), Mehmeti, Clarke (Johnson 86), Azon (Hirst 69). Unused: Palmer, Greaves, Walle Egeli, Akpom. Referee: Thomas Kirk (Cheshire). Att: 22,330 (Town: 2,448).

Photo: Matchday Images