Rovers had risen to seventh after a run of 17 points from seven league games in the first season of their second spell under Clarke, who has previously guided the Gas and Port Vale to promotion from the division.

"I've been saying, week in and week out, that there's a lot of work to be done with the group," added the former Barnsley boss, who reiterated his belief that he will need three transfer windows to assemble his preferred squad.

"We didn't give ourselves a platform, we conceded early and it got worse from there. We never got a foothold in the game.

"Sometimes you get a day when you've got to take your medicine and regroup. The buck stops with me, making sure we get the reset and focus on the next game.

"I know this club very, very well and it's important we react. We'll be back at it next week in front of our fans and get that belief back."

Rovers are 14th and host 19th-placed Tranmere Rovers on Saturday (15:00 BST).