Ipswich 1-0 Cardiff

Debutant Nicky Forster settled a dour match between two new-look sides.

Forster connected to a Darren Currie free-kick in the 64th minute in a match short on entertainment at Portman Road.

Ipswich should have opened the scoring just before the break, but Sam Parkin scuffed his shot with just Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Alexander to beat.

Parkin hit the bar with a header late on and goalkeeper Lewis Price pulled off a superb reaction save to deny Cardiff substitute Alan Lee.

---

Ipswich manager Joe Royle:
"Until Lewis (Price) brought off that save I didn't think we were under very much danger.

"All great saves need an element of luck, but this was certainly a magnificent reflex effort."

He added: "It was an untypical Ipswich performance, not free-flowing but quite functional."

Cardiff manager Dave Jones:
"I think I can take more positives than negatives from the match. One mistake proved costly. It was a silly free kick to give away.

"We got into good positions in the first-half and should have got something out of them, but we didn't.

"I have brought in nine new players and seven of them were on duty. I have told them they need to gel quickly but I cannot fault them."

---

Ipswich: Price, Wilnis, De Vos, Naylor, Richards, Currie, Magilton (Juan 90), Garvan, Westlake, Forster (Peters 77), Parkin.
Subs Not Used: Supple, Horlock, McDonald.

Booked: De Vos.

Goals: Forster 64.

Cardiff: Alexander, Darlington, Purse, Cox, Barker, Whitley, Ardley, Parry (Lee 74), Boland (Mulryne 86), Cooper, Jerome.
Subs Not Used: Warner, Weston, Loovens.

Booked: Cooper.

Att: 24,292

Ref: K Friend (Leicestershire).