Burns' squad had already been disrupted by injury, Wigan Athletic forward Lee McCulloch not being available due to damaged ankle ligaments and Southampton's Neil McCann having a brokentoe.
Stark, who will name a replacement in the next two days, had already lost influential Aston Villa's Barry Bannon to a brokentoe that the midfielder suffered during his loan spell with Blackpool.
After the fight he revealed he had broken his right toe in training, but had decided to go ahead with the bout, which ultimately ended with a disappointing defeat.