Blackburn are suffering from a lack of confidence – Tony Mowbray

Tony Mowbray said his Blackburn team are suffering from a “lack of confidence” after their play-off hopes suffered another blow with a 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke.

Jacob Brown’s composed fourth-minute finish did the damage in a half bossed by the Potters, whose dominance clearly affected their opponents.

Although Blackburn improved in the second half they could not find an equaliser, with Sam Gallagher striking the woodwork and Stoke goalkeeper Jack Bonham superbly denying the striker and substitute Ryan Hedges.

Blackburn remain eighth and in top-six contention but have won just twice in 15 outings.

After the game, Mowbray said his side endured a “difficult” first half, putting it down to: “A bit of good play by Stoke, very confident.

“They have experienced players, playing their shape and pattern really well.

“They played off the two strikers extremely well and there is a lack of confidence in the team. I think it’s really difficult, the environment they played in today was difficult for those young boys. But it can only be a lesson to them.

“I told them, professional football, having been in it for 40 years, can be a harsh business.

“It’s not all great when you’re winning and everything is great and everybody is singing your name. You have dark days.

“Today, first-half particularly, was a difficult day for that team out there. I think they showed their mettle in the second half, put everything behind them and gave a much better performance.

“The second half performance is what this team are about, but yet we didn’t manage to score. We’ll keep going.”

After making it four wins in six, Potters boss Michael O’Neill praised Stoke’s attacking display and the way they stood up to second-half pressure.

He said: “I think we