VENKY’S have pledged their ‘full support’ to head coach Tony Mowbray after Rovers suffered relegation to the third tier for the first time in 37 years.

Rovers’ owners say they are ‘deeply hurt’ by the club’s relegation from the Championship but insist that under Mowbray they can launch an immediate challenge to return to the second tier.

A 3-1 win at Brentford on Sunday, a fifth in 15 games under Mowbray, wasn’t enough to save Rovers from the drop after wins for Nottingham Forest and Birmingham on the final day.

Mowbray revealed after that game that a trip to India to meet with the club’s owners to discuss his future was planned as he looked to seek assurances ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

In a statement released on Monda evening Venky’s say they will look to give Rovers the best possible chance of bouncing back from relegation under Mowbray’s leadership.

“The owners of Blackburn Rovers wish to place on record their appreciation for the work of manager Tony Mowbray since his arrival at the club, during which time both the performances of the team and results have improved significantly,” the statement read. “Going forward he will continue to have our full support.

“Despite the courageous performance by the players and the victory at Brentford (on Sunday), results elsewhere led to the relegation of the club from the Championship.

“This is indeed a very sad situation and we are deeply hurt by these events. We share the same feelings as our supporters.

“Notwithstanding this temporary setback, we are confident that the collective efforts of the team, under Tony’s leadership, will enable the club to achieve promotion back to the Championship next season.

“We have all witnessed the events of recent years, where teams have been relegated but have turned their clubs around and emerged stronger, and we are determined to see Blackburn Rovers do the same.

“Work has already begun to make this happen and we will be making every effort during the forthcoming season to give ourselves the best chance to achieve this goal.”

The statement also came hours after Paul Senior became the first casualty of the club’s relegation after resigning from his role as Director of Football and Operations.

Senior was only appointed to the post in January but chose to leave Ewood Park a day after their relegation from the Championship was confirmed.

His 123-day reign saw him appoint Tony Mowbray as head coach less than 24 hours after the departure of Owen Coyle as well as bring in Lucas Joao on loan from his former club Sheffield Wednesday.

Following his departure, a club statement read: “The club would like to thank Paul for his efforts and wish him well in his future endeavours.

“Paul would like to go on record by wishing Tony Mowbray, the club’s loyal and hard-working staff and fantastic fans the very best good fortune forward.”

Rovers were backed by a terrific away following of 1,600 at Brentford, while around 15,000 home fans watched the 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the club’s final home league game.

And the owners thanked the fans for their support throughout the season.

They added in the statement: “The owners and everyone at the club recognise and appreciate the solid backing of the supporters and thank them for this.

“We believe that such strong support will set us in good stead for the season ahead.”