Plymouth Argyle manager Tom Cleverley has apologised for his side's "unacceptable" performance in their 3-0 loss at Stevenage on Tuesday.

The Pilgrims lost back-to-back games in League One for the first time since early February as they slipped to fifth in the table, having sat top last week.

”I absolutely hold my hands up and apologise for that performance this evening because it's unacceptable,” Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon.

“When you represent a big club, you get a lot of pats on the back when it's going well and these players have built up some credit over the last 11 months.

“But that can diminish very quickly with performances like that and we need to not take that support for granted - you need to earn that support, you need to earn those pats on the back and we certainly didn't do that tonight.”

Plymouth conceded twice in an eight-minute spell midway through the first half before Stevenage scored a third late in the second period.

The loss came after a 2-0 defeat at home by Huddersfield Town which Cleverley described as "humbling".

"The bare minimum I have to coach, demand, pick a team to be able to do is compete and the last two games we've not at all," he said.

"If you don't compete, if you don't win duels, if you don't land on seconds [second balls], if you don't run and fight then you're going to find it difficult to score goals and difficult to keep it out the back of your net and that is what tonight looked like.

"Two centre forwards who were well managed by two centre-halves at one end and two centre forwards who caused mayhem at the other end, and in between that not much better either.

"So a lot of questions from the last two games and it's my job to provide the answers and real clarity and direction come Thursday to make sure we know exactly how to go get a result on Saturday, and I'm pretty sure top of the priorities will be picking a team that is going to fight and compete."