PHIL Parkinson praised Wanderers’ effort – but admitted his side ultimately lacked the cutting edge to take anything out of their derby clash with Blackburn Rovers.

Bradley Dack’s 22nd minute strike settled the first meeting between the two Lancastrian neighbours in three years at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Bolton dominated the second half but found Tony Mowbray’s side too difficult a nut to crack, and have now scored just two goals in their last six games.

“One mistake has led to the goal,” he said. “Our final ball into the box, or through to the strikers to create chances for the strikers wasn’t good enough.

“We can say ‘well done’ because there were some good performances but they weren’t in the wide areas where we needed players to produce. That’s what has cost us.

“We dominated the game, had chances, and some of the football we played was excellent. But once we got into those areas we need that touch of quality, not to be hitting the first man, or not being positive enough.

“There have been some excellent performances all over the pitch but none of those seven or eights out of 10 were in key areas where we really needed them.”

Pride stung, Wanderers now go into the international break in 16th position with just one win in their last eight games.

“It’s always frustrating when you get beat,” said Parkinson. “We can take some positive aspects of the play but equally I can’t go in the dressing room and say ‘well done lads, fantastic,’ because it’s a game we should have got something out of it.”

Bradley Dack’s winning goal came from a Blackburn counter down Wanderers’ left, where Jonathan Grounds had been caught out of position.

Joe Rothwell had a shot blocked superbly on the line by Jack Hobbs but Dack followed up to net his eighth goal of the campaign.

“Groundsy should have brought him down,” he said. “We just said that to him in the dressing room. Joe Williams did it in the second half and sometimes you have got to take a booking on the half way line. We do that, the game comes in at half time 0-0.

“We had some great moments – Magennis had one cleared off the line, one tipped over, Joe Williams had a good one, Bucko had a good shot when it came to his right foot, we had the majority of the play but it wasn’t to be.

“The lads gave it everything but it wasn’t to be.”

Wanderers also had a late reprieve scrubbed out by referee Darren Bond – who initially gave a penalty for a trip on Christian Doidge, only for the linesman to flag him offside.

“It was the correct decision, so I can’t complain about that,” Parkinson added.

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray admitted his side had been forced to "win ugly" in a game which lacked many moments of real quality.

"It wasn’t a very good performance," he said. "The first quarter of an hour 20 minutes was what we had worked on but credit to them.

"They make life really difficult. If you look back at their last game against Derby with 20 odd percent possession and we know how good Derby are.

"They are a team who make it difficult but let’s take the points. Do you call it winning ugly? I am not sure.

"But the spirit was there and that’s what got us through. I talk a lot about the spirit and it was there on show, digging in, winning headers, getting the second ball.

"We weren’t fluent at all. I picked a team to be fluent with Palmer, Rothwell and Dack and Rodwell and Reed to feed them player.

"For the first 20 minutes it worked okay but the solidity Evans and Smallwood brought later on was important and helped us get the points

"It’s in the history books now we won 1-0. But we have to be better and we have been better.

"I am just delighted to get the win and a clean sheet. Results like today feed the beast if you want to give it a name; their togetherness, spirit and camaraderie is at times is unbreakable."

On the penalty incident at the end of the game, Mowbray added: "It would have been the fifth penalty against us in three weeks. The boys said it was never a penalty in a million years and it was obviously offside.

"It was almost comical to say it was a penalty but again it doesn’t matter now. Let’s move on.

“Every game stands on its own two feet and our next game is Leeds United at home."