Steve Davis says his defence will learn from last weekend's 4-1 defeat in London

Steve Davis believes that his defenders will be back to their reliable best again when Doncaster Rovers arrive in South Cheshire on Saturday. Prior to last weekend’s trip to London, the Alex had established a proud record of conceding just four goals in seven games. The defensive improvement had seen the Railwaymen gain ground on those above them in League One but the Crewe Alexandra boss felt that the pressure on them finally told against Leyton Orient.

The Alex rather cruelly conceded four goals in the capital, but Davis feels that was just a minor blip following their immense improvement over the last six weeks.

The Alex boss told the club’s official web-site: “We have certainly tightened up as a group and I’ve been pleased with the way we have been defending recently. We have been able to keep some clean sheets and that has given us the platform to get some results.

“We found it hard at Leyton Orient last week. Dagnall was lively and we didn’t cope with his movement as good as we should have.

“They had two attacks and scored twice in the first half and that made it difficult for us. When you are not scoring a bundle of goals in games, it does bring an added pressure to the back lads to keep a clean sheet.

Harry (Davis) has been out for a long time and he felt a bit heavy legged at Leyton Orient. I think being out for so long caught up with him a bit. “

“The adrenaline sees you through in the early games but it can be tough. H will be mentally and physically ready for Saturday.”