'It could have been a different story' - Kalas

Lee Johnson’s side had a number of chances to score, notably Famara Diédhiou was out of luck when he hit the crossbar twice, while Potters keeper Jack Butland made big saves to deny Marlon Pack and Niclas Eliasson.

The away side took the lead through Darren Fletcher just after the half-hour mark and held on to secure all three points.

'We did not deserve to lose'

“Obviously 1-0 is disappointing but for everyone who saw the game I think knows we didn’t deserve that,” Kalas said.

“Now is not the time for crying but we had 90 minutes to do something. We wasted the opportunity in first 45 minutes to play like we did in the second.

“In the second half, there was only one team on the pitch and having been more lucky, calm or quality, more composure then we would have scored at least two or three goals and won, then it would have been a different story but it is one of those games.”

The defender, who was voted the Thatcher’s Cider Man of the Match, explained it wasn’t for the want for trying, as City increased the tempo and put a huge amount of pressure on Gary Rowett’s Stoke after the break.

He even went close to scoring himself but for a towering header which sailed over the Stoke goal.

Kalas added: “We played as a team in the second half, we ran, we weren’t lazy, we sprinted everywhere and put the pressure on them. It was working and we should have done that for 90 minutes or at least more than 45. In the end we lose 1-0.”

City now have a week to prepare for the trip to Reading, after three games in eight days.