Albion missing big defender Bartley - Mowbray

Albion suffered their first home defeat since Tony Mowbray's return

West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray admitted that the loss of suspended centre-back Kyle Bartley was a key factor in Wednesday night's 2-0 home defeat by his old club, managerless Blackburn Rovers.

After returning from a month out with injury in Saturday's 2-1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday, Bartley was red-carded for violent conduct after the final whistle - and still has two more games to miss of his automatic three-match suspension.

"We were definitely missing Kyle Bartley," Mowbray told BBC Radio WM. "He's a big voice. He's the most dominant defender we have in the box - and we allowed them to score from a set play.

"We huffed and puffed but we just didn't have enough. We didn't have the cutting edge. And you have to give them some credit for the way they came here and defended."

As Mowbray had privately feared, the ongoing speculation over the long-drawn-out departure of Rovers manager John Eustace to Derby County also had a positive motivating effect on his old club.

"I just spoke to Danny Batth," added Mowbray. "He said all their players were together and sensed it in the dressing room before.

"They were right up for this football match because of the adversity they've been through. There's been a lot of talk and it galvanised their group.

"They worked extraordinarily hard. I've got a soft spot for Blackburn, not to the point where I'm happy they win, but I can see the qualities of what they've got. They're hard to get through. They know when to foul and when to kill the clock."

To add to Mowbray's woes, ahead of Saturday afternoon's game at Millwall, he may again also be without Karlan Grant, who missed the Rovers defeat with a chest infection and is now a doubt for the trip to the Den.