TRIALLIST Bilel Mohsni was among the scorers as Ipswich Town thrashed Cardiff City 6-0 in an Under-21 fixture at Playford Road this Friday lunchtime.

Frenchman Mohsni – permitted to play by League Two employers Southend United – eased through the second string game with a commanding man-of-the-match display at centre-back, setting-up the opener with a flicked header and scoring the third with a long-range effort.

With three over age outfield players permitted in the new Under-21 League, there was an experienced spine to Town’s side. Arran Lee-Barrett (28) played in goal, with Mohsni (25) in the heart of defence, new St Etienne loanee Guirane N’Daw (28) making his first appearance in a Blues shirt in central midfield and the out-of-favour Nathan Ellington (31) up front.

Summer signing Elliott Hewitt made his first appearance for the club too, the 18-year-old – a �150,000 addition from Macclesfield – playing for the first time in over a year following a hip problem that required surgery.

Cardiff, by contrast, had just one over aged outfield player in their team in the form of Israeli international midfielder Dekel Keinan. The majority were teenagers.

Town only led 1-0 at the break courtesy of an own goal. Hewitt’s long-throw – which looks like it could be a valuable weapon for the club – was flicked on by the 6ft 3in Mohsni and, with Ronan Murray lurking, a visiting defender was forced to turn the ball into his own net.

Hewitt was replaced by youngster Kyle Hammond at the break and it took the right-back just five minutes to double the lead. It was his marauding run which started the move, Byron Lawrence finding Ellington and his left wing cross nodded in from close-range by the on-running substitute.

Lee-Barrett produced a good one-on-one save on the hour, with imposing Senegal midfielder N’Daw – still short of match fitness following a limited pre-season – replaced by Mark Timlin.

Any thoughts of the Welsh visitors coming back into the game were ended in the 64th minute though when keeper Elliot Parish made a hash of Mohsni’s straight long-range shot, the 22-year-old pushing the shot into his own net.

Town made it 4-0 in the 76th minute when left-back David October received the ball on the overlap and guided an angled shot across the keeper and inside the far side netting.

The hosts’ fifth was the pick of the bunch, sub Timlin coolly finishing a sweeping move that was started by captain and centre-back Joe Whight and which involved Hammond and Ellington.

Jack Marriott replaced Ronan Murray up front in the 87th minute and goalpoacher added sixth in stoppage-time, robbing hesitant defender Joe Ralls on the edge of his own box and firing the ball past the exposed keeper.