Clarke, who had seen his side bounce back from being two-nil down at the break to take a fourth win in as many games, praised his players for their resilience and togetherness as they sent Port Vale back up the M6 empty handed.
A brace of braces, from on-loan Bournemouth striker Jake Scrimshaw and central defender Dan Scarr respectively, saw Walsall climb to one place below the Play-Offs, stretching their unbeaten run to six games.
Speaking to the assembled media, Clarke initially apologised to his players for his starting selection before praising their togetherness as the four players he replaced at the break remained supportive of their team as they mounted a welcome comeback.
Darrell said; "I have to apologise for the team I picked. Everybody is saying roll out the same team, so I apologise for that.
"Most times when I play three games in a week I change the team and make two or three changes. I didn’t do that today.
"I’m disappointed in that aspect but then the response from the lads that came on and came off was tremendous. It shows that we have a squad that is together.
"There was no-one chucking teacups around at half-time. Players were obviously disappointed that they came off the pitch but they got behind their team-mates that were going on the pitch.
"That’s a good sign of the togetherness that we have but I’m certainly kicking myself for the team that I started with."