Peter Taylor has urged his players to keep on believing.

City go looking for their first points since January 3 against free-scoring Crewe tomorrow night.

Despite three losses on the bounce, Taylor is confident the visitors can lift the mood and reverse their sliding fortunes. He said: “They aren’t going to be as lively because all of a sudden you’re closer to the bottom of the table than the top.

“I expect people to be serious about their work but you’re not going to be over-confident.

“As long as the group stay determined, that’s the most important thing. You really have to believe that you will get out of it.

“But we must make sure we get our act together tonight.”

Crewe have banged in 51 goals so far – more than double City’s tally. Strikers Shaun Miller and Bradford-born Clayton Donaldson have got 26 between them, four more than the visitors.

Taylor added: “Crewe send a lot of bodies forward so they might be vulnerable for counter-attacks.

“They’ve got some strength up there and have scored a lot of goals. Dario wants them to play the right way, quite rightly so.

“I’m sure our defenders are going to get tested but I’m really hopeful that our strikers can go and test them.

“We’ve got to keep the ball better and enjoy our possession. It wasn’t as bad at Aldershot but against Oxford we gave it away for fun and we can’t afford to do that.”

Crewe are waiting on an appeal against keeper Rhys Taylor’s red card from the weekend. If his ban stays in place, experienced Steve Phillips will make his first appearance since April.

Meanwhile, City today issued an apology to fans over Saturday’s late call-off.