Tony Mowbray fears Bradley Dack faces another lengthy lay-off.

Dack was taken off on a stretcher in the closing stages of the defeat to Brentford having clutched his knee and screamed out in pain when stretching for the ball.

The 27-year-old missed a year of action after an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained against Wigan Athletic in December 2019, this the first time since that Dack has started three successive games.

The match was decided by a ninth minute Ivan Toney penalty after Darragh Lenihan was adjudged to have fouled Tarique Fosu.

But it was the injury to Dack that was the most disappointing aspect of the night for the players and manager.

Mowbray said: “It's not good. He needs to get it scanned but the doctor feels it's a bad one. It's his other leg, he's in a lot of discomfort and the players are trying to comfort him."

“We’ll have to get it scanned, but Bradley thinks it’s exactly the same as the first one, he could feel the pop, it felt exactly the same as what he did against Wigan.

“You live through it with them, the sacrifice they give every day, the work they do.

“When everyone is having a rub or watching video clips he’s there doing his weights, and recent months running around a pitch to get fit, what you have to do.

“The mental side of thinking he’s got another year potentially of all that hard work again, when you start to put it into context about doing it again, he’s in a bit of pain, he’s got gas and air, he’s not himself.

“He’s trying to smile and say he’ll get through it so what can you do other than tell him he’s part of the family.

“This club need to look after him, the supporters need to be there for him, his team-mates need to be there for him, and give him every support we can.

“The sadness it that he’s such a bright, bubbly lad, larger than life kid, who dreams of playing in the Premier League, of scoring goals and getting wrapped up in football matches and he just loves playing footy like the kid in the playground.

“To see that taken away from him for a second time is really heartbreaking.”