Albion boss Steve Coppell blamed an absence of attacking spark as Brighton fell back into the bottom three following defeat in the relegation six-pointer in the Potteries.

Chris Greenacre's 83rd minute goal for Stoke settled a nervy relegation scrap at the Britannia Stadium and lifted the home side into the treasured fourth bottom safety spot.

The Seagulls are two points and a place below them and level on points with Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby, but with a superior goal difference.

A disappointed Coppell said: "I thought we had done the lion's share of the work to get something from the game.

"It looked as if it was heading towards a fairly innocuous 0-0, then it looked like we were going to score and on the break they did score.

"A lot of effort, graft and planning went into it, but we have come away with nothing.

"With so much at stake there wasn't going to be flowing football.

"Both teams were more frightened of losing than wanting to win and we certainly fell into that trap.

"It was a back foot performance by us. Their goalkeeper didn't have enough saves to make and didn't get his shirt dirty enough for my liking."

Greenacre converted his first goal for two months from a cross by impressive second-half substitute Lewis Neal after Anthony Rougier had spurned a couple of headers for Albion.

Coppell said: "We did the same thing at Gillingham on Saturday when we got into a great position at half-time.

"In the bottom group of this division there is hardly anything to choose between the teams.

"What is going to decide results is one incisive bit of play and that is what we are craving.

"Our fellows up front didn't spark. They did not get a great deal of support from the midfield.

"We were asking ourselves questions in the dressing room and we have got to come up with some answers fairly quickly."

Forward Paul Brooker said: "We knew it was going to be a hard and scrappy game and we are bitterly disappointed not to get a point, if not all three.

"There are still 11 games to go and a lot of points to play for.

"We've had two successive defeats after winning three on the trot and we have got to turn it around and start on a winning run again."