BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer called his side’s first-half performance in yesterday’s dismal 1-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion as the ‘worst’ of his Ewood Park reign.

Brighton had failed to win any of their previous six away games but they took a fully deserved lead into the interval after Matt Kilgallon scored a spectacular own goal.

Lethargic Rovers were booed at the break but after ‘harsh’ half-time words from Bowyer they did improve after the restart.

However, while Jordan Rhodes and man-of-the-match Markus Olsson forced David Stockdale into fine saves, they were unable to find an equaliser.

It means Rovers will go into the international break on the back of back-to-back home losses that have left them 13 points behind the play-off places with seven games of the season to play.

“Second half we had a bit more of a go and their goalie has pulled a couple of great saves out,” said Bowyer, who was without seven first-team players.

“But no excuses, we were nowhere near good enough first half. Nowhere near.”

Asked to put a finger on why Rovers were so bad in the opening period, Bowyer, who can make just one loan signing under the club’s embargo for failing Financial Fair Play, said: “With the restrictions we are under with the embargo and the amount of games we have had to play, including the FA Cup run and the games we have had to play just after the cup games, I think it’s probably taken its toll.

“It was our 13th game in the last 43 days and we were limited with our numbers.

“Everybody who is fit at the club was involved and we had two kids on the bench in Darragh Lenihan and Connor Mahoney as well Yann Songo’o who is yet to make his full debut for us in the league.

“So we were suffering from that but the players who were out there were more than capable of winning the game.”

Rovers thought they had levelled the contest when Seagulls goalkeeper Stockdale dropped a Ben Marshall cross into his own net under pressure from Rhodes.

And Bowyer said: “I didn’t see a lot wrong with our goal that was chalked off. The goalkeepers get a hell of a lot of protection.”

Brighton’s first victory on their travels since January 10 moved them 10 points clear of the relegation places.

And their manager Chris Hughton said: “I thought our game management was very good.

“I know they’ve had a few problems with injuries and amount of games they’ve played but they’re still a very good outfit with a threat up front and I thought, particularly in the first half, we kept the ball well in the periods we had to, defended well for 90 minutes, which you know you're going to have to, and got a bit of fortune with the goal.

“But I thought we deserved it overall.”