Tony Mowbray felt it was an all too familiar story for Rovers at home – but the boss believes his players are still fighting for the cause.

Peter Etebo’s 14th minute goal proved decisive for Stoke City who became the fourth team of the last five visitors to Ewood Park to win 1-0.

Rovers have now taken just four points from the last 33 available, and were again found wanting in the final third as a lack of quality saw them fail to overly test Jack Butland.

And Mowbray told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Take the Wigan game out of it, which we won, that’s four 1-0 defeats at home.

“I think they were very similar games, apart from the first half against Middlesbrough which was very poor, I think we’re a team with a lot of spirit, drive, and working hard for each other but we haven’t scored a goal in any of those four games.

“I can stand here and say the same things I did after those games, it was an amazing effort from the team, yet the ability to pick the last pass or find the space in the box to score a goal wasn’t there again, against a team who have now kept six clean sheets in a row.

“We knew it was going to be difficult once they scored, but I thought we gave it a really good effort, but it wasn’t to be.”

Asked how concerned he was by the run, the boss added: “I think the supporters who come to the games get behind the team because they are fighting and asking questions of the opposition.

“We’re putting the ball in the box and having shots which are getting blocked, Armstrong hit the bar early on which might have made a difference had that gone in.

“I think it’s frustrating, we’re in the results business, I understand that. I said to the players that we need to keep working, looking in the video room of where we could have played the ball, could the movement have been better, because a lot of balls went in to their box but we didn’t get on the end of enough of them.

“Let’s keep working as hard as we do and hope things go our way.”

Adam Armstrong hit the bar in the first half, which was the closest Rovers came, while David Raya saved a Bojan penalty in first half injury time, and made one excellent stop to deny Sam Vokes late on.

On how to change things, Mowbray added: “All I can do is give them a formation, a shape, ask them to work hard, and get the ball in to certain areas of the pitch and hope they go out and do that.

“For two years they have done that amazingly well.  That’s been the same formula.

“Generally we find a way to score, at home particularly. Half of that time was in League One where we scored a lot of goals, this is just a different league with better and more experienced players.

“Today’s team, Shawcross is a hugely experienced player, Danny Batth they paid money for him in January, they have good footballers. Six clean sheets on the bounce shows how good they are defensively.

“We knocked at the door plenty of times but couldn’t find a way through. We’re left frustrated, disappointed, but I take a lot of confidence from the fact they are still fighting, working hard and doing the right things.

“When I look at them I think there are a lot of positives. If we keep going and build in the summer, I think we have got some good players that could do a good job in this league.”