Alex Neil's Stoke frustrations grow ahead of Sunderland return and FA Cup fixture against Brighton

The Potters recorded 71% possession at the bet365 Stadium but conceded in the 9th minute when Zian Flemming ran through the middle of the pitch and side-footed the ball home.

It’s a result which leaves Stoke 17th in the table ahead of Tuesday’s FA Cup match against Brighton, before this weekend’s trip to Sunderand when Neil will face his former club.

"It's frustration more than anything else,” Neil told BBC Radio Stoke after the Millwall defeat. “I think they've had one shot on goal and won the game. I feel as if I've re-lived that game here on numerous occasions.

"With a good win in the week I always feel as though it's one step forward and one back.

"We had more than enough chances in the first half to get a goal. I thought we started the second half brightly and looked threatening, then we huffed and puffed a bit and found it difficult to break them down.

"It's been a similar story for a number of games - we had chances. We don't have a big six-foot target man at the top of the pitch. I thought at times we were threatening and we had enough to get something out of the game. It's frustrating."

Stoke have also conceded in the first ten minutes of matches in four of their last six Championship fixtures.

"They are different goals though,” added Neil when asked about his side’s slow starts. “That's the frustration. The one at Luton was a second ball that they land on, the one today we give the ball away cheaply and don't deal with the first little bit like we should, then we back off. The goal against Swansea is a second phase set play.

"It's not as if it's a consistent theme of goals where I need to fix that to make sure it doesn't happen, the goals are all different in nature in terms of what they look like."

Since Neil left Sunderland to join Stoke in August, the Potters have won nine, drawn six and lost 13 in the Championship.