AFTER free-scoring Town had netted 11 goals in their previous four home games, I suppose with hindsight it was inevitable that Boxing Day’s showpiece festive fixture with QPR would end goalless.

The Blues’ first 0-0 since March was perhaps due and Tuesday’s match was one of those which didn’t really deserve a goal.

Town had spells on top but were nothing like as fluent as they had been in the previous four games.

The second half, in particular, was drab and scrappy and a return to the sort of match which became all too familiar last season.

With the Blues having five games in 15 days, manager Mick McCarthy made five changes, which was probably among the factors which led to the disjointed display, although the players who came in have all been in and around the first team throughout the season and won’t have been unfamiliar with their roles.

Nevertheless, the switches of personnel, and perhaps the continued absence of the injured Cole Skuse anchoring the midfield, did seem to impact upon the performance.

Losing the exceptionally unlucky Teddy Bishop, making a lively first start of another injury-hit season, to a hamstring problem just before half-time also didn’t help.

Surprisingly, Bersant Celina was brought on with only six minutes remaining, the Kosovan international making an immediate impression, sending over a cross which Joe Garner headed towards goal - only for Jack Robinson to stick out an arm to block it.

That referee Andy Davies - who had similarly missed Massimo Luongo’s handball in the run-up to QPR’s opening goal in their 2-1 win against the Blues at Loftus Road in September - failed to spot it didn’t entirely come as a shock given his overall performance.

QPR will claim they should have had a penalty of their own when the ball may have struck Dominic Iorfa’s arm moments later, although Town’s looked the better claim.

Josh Scowen’s late red card for a second bookable offence looked difficult to argue with, even if Rangers boss Ian Holloway gave it a good go afterwards.

The boos at the final whistle were harsh on Town, given their recent positive home performances and results, and were probably mainly down to frustration.

Where the Blues have been bright, entertaining and, at times, looking capable of scoring whenever they’ve gone forward in previous matches, Tuesday was a return to the drudgery of last season.

The exciting Celina being given only a brief spell in which to make his mark - and but for Robinson’s arm and then some myopic refereeing conjuring what would have been the game’s decisive moment in that time - added to fans’ vexation.

McCarthy said afterwards he had accepted the game was probably going to be a draw going into the final minutes, adding that Celina can’t be played all the time.

However, I’m not sure a further ten or 15 minutes on the field would significantly have affected 21-year-old Manchester City loanee’s fitness for future matches.

And while McCarthy may have had a point about the context of the game, the match was a big chance to win back some of this season’s stay away fans.

The Boxing Day fixture is one traditionally attended by more irregulars than usual - 18,696 were there on Tuesday compared with the 19-year low of 13,832 at the Reading match - and an impressive and entertaining display could have tempted many of them back for future games.

But few of those returning for the first time this season will have thought much had changed from last year - it was a drab match, Town’s approach, certainly in the latter stages, looked unadventurous against a team currently down in 18th and there were no goals.

Not typical of this season by any stretch but that’s the game on which the one-off returnees will judge 2017/18 Town.

Despite the draw - and given QPR’s league position and poor away record it was certainly two points dropped - and Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away against leaders Wolves, the Blues remain tenth, five points off the play-offs at just past the halfway mark, well-placed to make a challenge for the top six in the new year.

They have a chance to get back to winning and goalscoring ways when they host fourth-placed Derby in 2017’s final game tomorrow.

Although the Blues won 1-0 at Pride Park in November, it will be even tougher to impress any part-timers and stay-aways taking in a second Christmas game and persuade them to return to Portman Road on a more regular basis.