Town returned to second in the Championship as a goal in each half from Jack Clarke saw the Blues to a routine 2-0 victory over Bristol City at Portman Road. Clarke made the breakthrough in the eighth minute, then sealed the victory with his 10th goal of the season 10 minutes after the break to move Town ahead of Middlesbrough having played the same number of games but with the Teessiders in action tomorrow.

The Blues made four changes from the team which beat Blackburn 3-0 at the weekend with Jens Cajuste, Wes Burns, making his first Championship start since returning from injury, Clarke and Ivan Azon coming into the team for Jack Taylor, Sindre Walle Egeli and George Hirst, who dropped to the bench, and Jaden Philogene, who missed out having suffered a knee injury on Saturday.

The Robins made one change with former Blues skipper Sam Morsy, making his first return to Portman Road, dropping out of the XI and Mark Sykes coming into the side. Republic of Ireland international midfielder Jason Knight returned to the squad as a sub following a knock.

Town began the game on the front foot and won three corners on the bounce as the game approached the five-minute mark, visitors keeper Radek Vitek claiming the last one at the second attempt following a poor initial punch.

On eight, a cross-field pass from the right was knocked back from the left by Neto Borges to the edge of the area from where Anis Mehmeti, who Town are keeping tabs on with his contract up in the summer, hit a shot against Blues skipper Dara O’Shea.

A minute later, Town took the lead. Cajuste stroked the ball wide to Clarke, who brought it into the area from the left, inside George Tanner and shot low across Vitek and into the corner of the net in a Philogene-esque manner.

In the 19th minute, the Blues again worked a good opportunity on the left, Clarke cutting in as Leif Davis overlapped and hitting a shot which deflected into the air and into Vitek’s arms.

Within a minute, there was a big scare for Town when Christian Walton played out to Cedric Kipre on the edge of the area to the left and the Ivorian’s pass across the edge of the box caught Scott Twine and fell for Emil Riis, who seemed certain to score until O’Shea slid in and Walton dived and the ball was diverted behind.

Bristol City claimed a penalty following the resultant corner, Twine tumbling as he and Clarke sought to get on the ball with the Blues’ goalscorer looking to have got a touch on it before the former MK Dons man fell.

Former Blues skipper Morsy began warming up on the touchline and received a warm ovation from his old supporters, who loudly sang in tribute to the Egyptian international.

And in the 27th minute, Morsy was given a similar reception as he came onto the field as a replacement for Zak Vyner, who had undergone treatment for a knock a few minutes earlier.

Four minutes later, Azon, still awaiting his first Town goal as a starter, brought the ball to just outside the area and hit a shot which flew just over the bar and flicked off the top of the net on its way into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

In the 33rd minute, Morsy hit an effort wide from just outside the area after a Riis long throw had run loose.

Town will wonder how they didn’t double their lead in the 36th minute, Marcelino Nunez turning a pass into the path of Burns on the right and the Welshman cutting back to Cajuste on the penalty spot.

The Sweden international’s effort was blocked by Tanner and the loose ball fell to Azon, who seemed certain to score but Vitek, who is on loan from Manchester United, somehow managed to react and get a strong hand to divert it over with his teammates showing their appreciation for an outstanding save.

Following the corner, a Davis shot was blocked, then in the 40th minute Borges was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on O’Shea on the touchline.

As the half moved into its penultimate minute, Riis shot from the edge of the area from Twine’s backheeled lay-off.

After three additional minutes in which neither side threatened, referee Dean Whitestone blew his whistle.

Town were worth their lead at half-time and but for Vitek’s excellent save would have gone in front 2-0 ahead.

The Blues had had one or two other opportunities, while Bristol City’s only really big chance was Riis’s effort after Kipre’s error. A couple of other shots from the edge of the area had either given Walton little trouble or missed the target.

A minute after the restart, Sykes clipped a ball from the right over Walton’s right post after a corner had been played to him on the corner of the box.

In the 52nd minute, Walton batted away Mehmeti’s shot from the edge of the area with the Robins seeing most of the ball and Town not breaking as fluently as they would want.

But on 55, the Blues made it 2-0. O’Shea nodded forward, visitors skipper Rob Dickie looped his header high and to the right rather than away, Azon seizing on it and playing an inch-perfect cutback to Clarke, who shot low and hard first time into the unguarded corner of the net with Vitek covering his opposite post.

Borges shot powerfully across the face and wide on 58 before City made a triple change, the Brazilian, Sykes and Riis making way for Cameron Pring, George Earthy and Sinclair Armstrong.

Former Town captain Morsy was booked for a foul on Clarke as the game reached the hour mark, to the amusement of the Blues support. Moments later, Earthy scuffed a shot well wide.

Dickie joined Morsy in the referee’s book for a foul on Azon, before the Blues made their first changes, Cajuste and Burns making way for Jack Taylor, making his 100th appearance for the club, and Kasey McAteer.

The former Leicester man was quickly into the action, Davis crossing from the left and a defender just getting in ahead of the substitute at the near post.

In the 69th minute, after Bristol City had made heavy weather of clearing, Taylor fed in Clarke on the left of the area and the winger cut a clever ball across the six-yard box with the outside of his boot but no one was able to profit from it.

Furlong was booked for a foul on Rob Atkinson, before Town made two more changes in the 72nd minute, Nunez, who picked up a knock moments before what was a planned substitution, and Azon, who had put in his best display for the club and was applauded off, coming off for Sammie Szmodics and Hirst.

On 75, Tanner was booked for a very late tackle on Clarke with the Town players calling for more than a yellow card. Clarke was OK to continue.

Five minutes later, with the game long having felt like it was done and dusted, City made their final change, Haydon Roberts replacing Atkinson.

Goalscorer Clarke made way in the 84th minute to a standing ovation, Ashley Young taking over. Three minutes later, Adam Randell was booked for a foul.

The Robins were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute when Armstrong appeared to throw a punch at the grounded O’Shea after the pair had tussled as the ball came in from the right. With the Town players having surrounded him, referee Whitestone showed only a yellow card.

In the third of six additional minutes, Young and Taylor exchanged passes on the right of the area before the former Manchester United man sent over a low cross-shot which Vitek tipped wide.

That proved to be the final incident of the game as the Blues maintained their 100 per cent start to 2026.

Town fully deserved their seventh home win in a row - six in the league - and their fourth victory on the bounce at all venues.

Once Clarke, now the Blues’ top scorer in the Championship on 10, one more than Philogene, on nine plus one in the FA Cup, had netted the second goal, the game was all but dead with the visitors never seriously threatening and now without a goal in three league matches. Town keeper Walton has now kept nine clean sheets in 17 Championship starts.

A win which moves the Blues ahead of Middlesbrough by a point into second having played the same number of games but with the Teessiders at Stoke City on Wednesday evening.

Coventry remain top, eight points in front of Town but having played a game more after beating Millwall 2-1 at home this evening.

The Blues are next in action against Sheffield United, who are away at Southampton on Wednesday, at Bramall Lane on Saturday.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O'Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Cajuste (Taylor 63), Burns (McAteer 63), Nunez (Szmodics 73), Clarke (Young 84), Azon (Hirst 72). Unused: Palmer, Greaves, Johnson, Walle Egeli.

Bristol City: Vitek, Tanner, Dickie (c), Atkinson (Robers 80), Sykes (Earthy 59), Vyner (Morsy 27), Randell, Borges (Pring 59), Mehmeti, Twine, Riis (Armstrong 59). Unused: Lumley, Knight, Roberts, Pecover, Bell. Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire). Att: 25,539.

Photo: Matchday Images