Walsall players told to step up for clash

Defiant Walsall boss Jon Whitney has told his players 'to stand up and be counted' as they prepare for their crunch play-off showdown with Barnsley.

The Saddlers enter the semi-final clash 3-0 down after a hugely disappointing performance at Oakwell in the first leg.

Now they return to the Banks's Stadium on Thursday, knowing they will have to hit the heights of their 5-0 win at Port Vale on the final day of the regular season to have any chance of reaching the Wembley final.

And Whitney, who is interim boss until the end of the season, has told his players to perform for their futures and his.

He said: "We are playing for our livelihoods – we are playing for my livelihood. I want honesty from my players and I want to see if they believe in me.

"Forget about me believing in them, come and show me you believe in me. This is it now, one-game season. Let's stand up and be counted.

"We have done it in the past. We have been unplayable at times this season. Now we need to go out and get the goals that will get us back into it."

Whitney admitted his team lacked a bit of nous with their performance in Yorkshire.

He added: "Sometimes it's about keeping your shape, winning second balls and being a little bit ugly. That is what we are trying to develop.

"We have to not beat ourselves up if we aren't playing our fast, free-flowing football. I thought Ashley Fletcher and Sam Winnall caused too many problems and, too many times, they were unchallenged.

"We can't have that. The decision making needs to be better. We have leaders on the pitch, but we need to have talkers on the pitch.

"It's can't just come from the sideline, it can't just come from me and my coaches. I want my players to come back fighting."

Meanwhile, Whitney also took to social networking site Twitter yesterday to underline his belief Walsall can secure a dramatic comeback against the Tykes.

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