Now onto the serious stuff. Crewe Alexandra at home, a game that a few months ago would have held no fears for me but since the appointment of Steve Davis ( the manager not snooker player! ) for 'Mr Crewe' Dario Gradi, who was sacked or 'moved upstairs' soon after our scintillating 3-0 win at Gresty Road, the Railwaymen have surged up the table and now occupy the last play off berth. Crewe have 70 points and are 2 points ahead of Oxford who have tricky games left at home to Southend and away at Port Vale. Crewe play at home against Aldershot on the last day so a defeat at Plainmoor wouldn't be the end of the world for them and their play off ambitions.
That said, when i began delving into the stats involving Crewe i started to have a mini panic attack and had to go outside for some deep breathing exercises!
CREWE HAVE ONLY LOST ONCE IN 15!!! TO SOUTHEND AWAY!!
Little wonder they are the team who have come late and fast into the play-off reckoning. Make no bones about it, these are serious opponents and will relish the opportunity of coming to Plainmoor to continue their good form and cement their place in the play-offs. If we start this game sluggishly and on the back foot then we could be in for a long old afternoon. They have lost 8 away games however, won 9 and drawn 5 so there is some scope for optimism but the most eye-catching stats is that they have gone 52 games without registering a 0-0 draw. Incredible!
Last season at Plainmoor we won 2-1 on a tuesday night in front of just 1,955 spectators. I somehow feel that there will be slightly more people crammed into our small and compact ground come 3pm saturday. Zebroski and O'Kane scored for us on that night and O'Kane also netted a brace in our 3-3 draw up there last season so a speculative punt on O'Kane for 1st goalscorer may be order. What do you reckon Bix?
Crewe have a lot of young players, teenagers too that have come up through the ranks in true Crewe style including 18 year old top scorer Nick Powell who has 14 goals in all comps. AJ Leitch-Smith is also a youth product and has spent time on loan at Icelandic cub IBV who, just for footy anoraks out there, play on the Westmann Islands - a tiny island off the south coast of Iceland. He has 7 goals this season in all comps and Byron Moore is another dangerous and nippy forward/winger and he has 9 goals i all comps. They also have former Gulls loanee Billy Bodin who is a dangerous player and well used to the Plainmoor surrounds. He will get a good reception i'm sure but i am worried about him causing us problems.
Last time out Crewe narrowly edged past fellow play-off contenders Cheltenham at Gresty Road thanks to an overhead kick by captain David Artell a minute before half time. The good news for us is that in scoring that goal, Artell pulled a hamstring and shouldn't be available to face us on saturday. It was interesting to hear Crewe boss talk of Cheltenham playing similar tactics to us with 1 up top and admitting they struggled to break them down and they played poorly.
Crewe line up last time out v Cheltenham Town:
1. Steve Phillips (GK)
2. Matthew Tootle
3. Harry Davis
4. David Artell
5. Adam Dugdale
6. Ashley Westwood
7. Luke Murphy
8. Billy Bodin
9. Shaun Miller
10. AJ Leitch-Smith
11. Byron Moore
SUBS: Alan Martin (GK), Jordan Brown, Lee Bell ( on for Westwood on 85 mins ), Kelvin Mellor ( on for Artell on 55 mins ), Max Clayton ( on for Miller on 64 mins ).
In my opinion this game has all the makings of an absolute stonker despite the massive importance to both sides. Crewe score goals and they also let them in, they play good football too, we have been pretty atrocious in recent weeks and surely must be due a great performance? I reckon it will not be a game for the fainthearted, end to end and we will edge it 3-2 although my head reckons it could be a score draw.
I'm coming down for this one for only my second ever visit to Plainmoor plus it is my birthday on thursday so hopefully the lads can give me a belated present. 3 precious points so i can trawl back up the motorways buzzing. I thought about the club announcer bloke maybe giving me a birthday mention at half time. Would be nice. How do you go about doing that does anyone know?
If anyone gets confirmation of who the ref is going to be on saturday then please could you post it on this thread thanks.
Whatever happens, you are my Torquay, my only Torquay, you make me happy when skies are grey!! COME ON!!!
NOTE: I am aware that the Crewe ground is now called 'THE ALEXANDRA STADIUM' but to me it will always be Gresty Road so i have chosen to refer to it as that in the thread. Besides, 'THE ALEXANDRA STADIUM' sounds camp.
