Dylan Morgan put the hosts ahead, but Will Vaulks’ leveller on the hour denied the Red Devils their first home league win in seven months as the match finished in a stalemate.

Veteran Kevin Blackwell took over the Crawley hot seat on an interim basis after Colin Kazim-Richards was sacked earlier this week and his side responded against Rovers.

The draw was Rovers' seventh of the season but it also means it's just three wins in 13 draws for Clarke's men who lay 13th in the League Two table.

Clarke said: “I was hoping we would get six points in a week from two away games but it’s not worked out.”

Clarke felt Crawley were “right up for it” following a change of manager but his men “should have ended up with more.”

He added: “I’m a frustrated man. The players put it all in, but we’ve got to be more flexible and take our opportunities when they come.

“Going in at 0-0 at half-time, the players looked a bit flat and I couldn’t seem to get to them.

“Then we started rubbish in the second half, gave away the goal and it looked difficult.

“To be fair they kept going, got back in the game and should have gone on from there.

“I can’t fault their work rate, but my reaction is that we should have got more.”

Blackwell described it as “a blood and thunder game” in bad weather conditions and felt his team had put down “a marker.”

He stressed: “It’s only a start. We know where we are and we must maintain it.

“It’s the start of what we want to achieve. I’m pleased with that point today.”