| P | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Wigan Athletic | 20 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 13 | 44 |
| 2 | Cardiff City | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 43 |
| 3 | Bristol City | 20 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 43 | 25 | 41 |
| 4 | Oldham Athletic | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 34 | 14 | 39 |
| 5 | Crewe Alexandra | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 30 | 17 | 35 |
The Alex are trailing by 4 points after a couple of bad games. With Oldham playing Wigan and Bristol City at Ninian Park two draws could see us in a perfect position to recover ground on the supposedly run away pack.
On the plus side, we're closer to 3rd spot than 5th. a 5 point gap seperates us and the off form QPR in 6th while Oldham are only holding a 4 point gap going into their game against top of the table Wigan.
Our visitors though have made , for some, a shocking start. Many believed, me not one of them, Barnsley would be up there with Bruce Dyer knocking them in. With only 7 to his name though Dyer is 12 goals behind Hulse and 2 goals behind Jack while Ashton is only 1 behind Dyer... who says we're a one man team?
Also in the tyks team is Chris Lumsdon. The ginger nut himself. The onced loved Alex player came onloan from Sunderland for a few months and his ability to get forward and create stuff won the hearts of Alex fans but when Peter Reid(Spit spit) demanded atleast £500k for the midfielder Dario had to wait. In the summer of 2001 Chris was allowed to go on a free transfer but after weeks of trying to sort out a deal the move broke down as his agents thought he was too good for Crewe, he told Crewe fans he sacked his agents and really wanted to come to the Alex but Dario was no longer interested as he had his eye set on King Brammer.
The Alex hadn't beat in five matches till 2002. before that it was on the last day of the season at Barnsley in 1999 where the Alex ran out 2-0 winners and Rob Hulse scoring his first Alex goal that day. In March though the Alex won 2-0 with a goal from Dean Ashton and Kevin Street, on his last Alex performance. It was a result afterwhich Dario said "We might just do enough to survive".
While we have gone 5 home wins in a row, 19 goals in 6 games and 7 games unbeaten the tykes have failed to find any form. Beating Cardiff 3-1 was thought to be a break through until failing to lose in their next 5 games. Their last two games though haven't been bad with a 3-1 win over Peterborough and a 2-2 draw with Oldham - going ahead twice.
Team news well. Hulse seems like he'll miss another game with the groin strain he picked up before the Mansfield game. Dean Ashton will take his place after a hat-trick in mid-week. Dave Walton will return in place of Walker as Dario states big Stitch is playing "the best football of his Crewe career". Clayton Ince will also return in place of Bankole. Rix could start in place of Sorvel after Dario praised the 19 year old like mad this week. Line up will be: Ince; Walton, Foster, Wright, Tierney; Vaughan, Lunt, Brammer, Sorvel; Jack, Ashton
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