Related content

LEE CLARK reflected on Town’s cruel 3-0 defeat at Rochdale and said: “We produced probably our best performance of the season, but it’s points on the board which matter.”

Trailing to Jason Kennedy’s seventh-minute strike, Town piled on the pressure only to fall to late goals by Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and Chris O’Grady.

And Clark continued: “I’m bitterly disappointed, and while we have to maintain that level of performance, we must cut out the errors and be more ruthless in front of goal.

“We started the game very well, but suffered a setback early on.

“I’m not sure the free-kick which led to the goal was correct, and it took a bit of a ricochet.

“But the lads stuck at it, and while people who weren’t here will see the scoreline and think I’m mad, we should have won. It’s not sour grapes, and well done to Rochdale because they threw their bodies on the line and kept stopping our crosses.

“Perhaps our quality from the wide areas wasn’t good enough, and we missed chances before being hit by two sucker punches right at the end.

“It’s a beating and that’s very disappointing, but I’ll pick myself up and I’ll pick the players up for Saturday (at home to Bristol Rovers).”

Town had more than 3,000 fans in a 6,121 Spotland crowd, and Clark continued: “They are magnificent and I will continue striving to give them a side they can be proud of.”

Clark takes a team to Northern Premier League Wakefield FC tonight (7.00) for a friendly which marks centre-back Nathan Clarke’s return after a knee injury.