Crewe Bombard Luton In A Four Goal Thrashing
4-0 win away from home is some achievement but when it’s against a highly rated team chasing the play-offs it just makes it seem all the better. With Cardiff winning on Friday night there were questions of if we could handle the pressure of having to win or end up more or less losing touch with Cardiff. The players certainly responded to much surprise of Alex fans did it in style.
Nice sunny day all the way down to Luton and in Luton, unfortunately the away fans were stuck in the shade. It didn’t take the shine off one fantastic win. The game was a bright game from the start and our defence didn’t have their heads screwed on from the start. Inside the first minute Howard got just behind Walton and Walker, or W&W we’ll call them, only to toe poke his shot inches wide. It certainly had Ince worried.
From then on the Alex fans who made the trip loved every minute of it. Our passing was probably the best the Nationwide League had seen this season with excellent movement on and off the ball. It no longer looked like the players were uncomfortable and rushing the ball about it looked as though they wanted the ball, like they wanted to run at Luton or put the killer pass in. It’s certainly something we’ve lacked these past few games
Dean Ashton was the match winner at Plymouth and again today the 19 year old started where he left off. On around the 5th minute the Alex were given a corner about 25 - 30 yards out just on level with the left post. You would have expected Lunt to hit it but instead we saw Dean get his chance damn was it good. He smashed it with pace curling around the wall and heading for the top left corner but only for the Luton keeper to push it onto the post and out for a corner.
The Alex were always going to get the goal as neat passing and great work pressured Luton. It was a defensive mistake that let Ashton through. Luton defenders could clear with their headers and as Perrett tried to bring the ball down in his own area Ashton stormed in, headed down and knocked past the keeper from 12 yards.
The Alex continued the fast flowing neat football despite having a goal to sit on. Of course we were going for as many goals as possible as the division could go all the way to goal difference at the moment. It was Dean Ashton’s day when we got the second. A corner wasn’t cleared by the Luton back line and Walker of all players who knocked it back in and as the Luton defence stood there idle Dean got behind the defence and from the same place as he scored his first he slotted past the keeper. The game was all but over already, after the 21st minute.
For the Alex Vaughan was causing all sorts of problems with his runs in and out of hatters players. Not only was he useful in an attacking sense but he saved us from the pressures of 2-1 when a muddle up in defence saw Ince drop the ball in front of a Luton player who hit at goal but Vaughan collapsed to the floor on the goal line just to get his knee to the ball.
Luton were actually a lacklustre, one-dimensional and kept resulting in the ‘long ball’ tactic. W&W were never really put under massive pressure and were never forced into their usual cock ups. They did have a good game to be truthful. Apart from the first few minutes they read the game well and let nothing break through… well nearly.
Second half was much the same. We were just out classing the awful Luton side who didn’t look that interested. The third goal came from a menacing run from Dean Ashton who got to the edge of the penalty area before squaring to Vaughan who took it on and squeezed it under the keeper and into the net.
It was time to sit back; Relax and just enjoy the game and weather. So, Ashton. Well he was truly brilliant. Every-time he got the ball it turned to gold. He couldn’t do anything wrong. At one stage in the first half he had 4 players round him and he somehow wriggled his way out and got the ball to Vaughan. every time he went near the area everyone knew he had the ability to just shoot and hit the back of the net. It was the Ashton of old. The Ashton which menaced Colin Hendry at the age of 17; The Ashton that was linked to Liverpool, Juventus and Arsenal; It was the Ashton that Dario admitted he knew was there and was just waiting for him to come out. We just hope he keeps his form up.
Back to the game. After the third goal the players were taking it easy, sort of. They found time to take another goal though when Vaughans pace found him on the by-line to square to the unmarked Jack at the far post to side foot home, penalty claims that Vaughan had been pulled down were dismissed. Not that anyone cared.
Ashton went off to a massive round of applause from both Crewe and Luton fans and on came loanee Stefan Oakes. Jack went off for Colin Little’s first appearance in a Alex shirt in 2003 and was obvious Dario wanted to save any injuries and just get the 4-0 win. Awesome display by the Alex and Cardiff won’t be sleeping well tonight.
I would normally say, on these sorts of performances, it would be unfair to pick a man of the match but today there’s an exception. Dean Ashton has to be it. Just excellent and 4 goals and 1 assist inside a week says it all.
Stockport are the visitors on Saturday and a must win game, as all the games are. Cardiff have a week off because of internationals which will help us in the long run if they have a back log of fixtures. So a win against Stockport would send us 4 points clear of 3rd place. The week after Cardiff play QPR - far from easy while we play a even harder team in Bristol City. It just goes to show how tight this run in is.
However on the performance at Luton I have no doubt we will win every game till the end of the season if we can keep that sort of performance up.