IPSWICH Town goalkeeper Brian Murphy has put himself in line to make his senior Blues debut with a sound display against Southend in a Combination reserve fixture at Roots Hall yesterday.

Elvin King

IPSWICH Town goalkeeper Brian Murphy has put himself in line to make his senior Blues debut with a sound display against Southend in a Combination reserve fixture at Roots Hall yesterday.

Arran Lee-Barrett was criticised in some quarters for a couple of goals in Tuesday's 3-1 Championship defeat at Peterborough.

Town boss Roy Keane, who watched yesterday's game, had originally planned to play Ian McLoughlin between the posts.

Publicly criticised by Keane on Monday, midfielder Ed Upson stepped up to the plate by scoring twice in a 6-1 victory.

Shane O'Connor also netted a brace while Reggie Lambe and Connor Wickham also scored. The Blues dominated throughout with Matt Paterson's first half goal all the Shrimpers had to show for their afternoon.

Wickham's goal was a thunderbolt that left the home keeper standing, while O'Connor switched from left-back to left midfield at the break to allow Ben Thatcher to come on.

He scored two well-taken goals before Upson completed the scoring with a curling free-kick from the edge of the area.

Town team: B Murphy, Ainsley, Brown, Eastman, O'Connor, Yao (sub Thatcher 46 mins), Hyam, Upson, Lambe, Martin (Murray 65), Wickham (Griffiths 65). Substitutes: McLoughlin, Cawley.