Steve Davis says his players will have to stand up and be counted at Oakwell this weekend.

Steve Davis knows how difficult it is to get a result at Oakwell better than most after serving the Tykes for seven years as a player.

Davis, 50, takes his Crewe Alexandra to Barnsley this weekend hoping to bounce back from a succession of home defeats and the Alex boss knows that his team will have to stand up and be counted if we are to get anything from Lee Johnson’s side.

Steve made over 100 league appearances for the Tykes and helped them reach the FA Premier League in 1997, only for injury to prevent him from playing in the top flight.

Ahead of the return to his former club, Steve told crewealex.net: “Oakwell is always a tough place to go and get a result. I know what the club means to the fans there and it is a test of character for visiting teams.

“You have to stand up and be counted playing there but it gives us a chance to recover from our recent home results. We didn’t see that coming after doing well on the road at Shrewsbury and Walsall.

The Alex boss added: “We are losing too many football matches at the moment and we have to go there with the belief that a positive result at Barnsley could be a key to us turning it around.”