Crewe gained 3 points this afternoon in a hot afternoon in South Cheshire, thanks to goals from Rob Hulse (9 mins) and Lee Bell (81 mins).
The smallest crowd at the Alex for some time, a lowly 5100 witnessed a hard fought victory against a plucky Colchester side. The Alex went ahead much against the run of play, Colchester had the bulk of the early possession and the goal on 9 minutes emerged from the Alex's first attack of the game. Dean Ashton latched onto a stray long ball, and despite the attentions of the Colchester left back, managed to cut inside and deliver an accurate low cross to the onrushing Hulse who made no mistake from 8 yards, neatly stroking the ball into the roof of McKinney's goal.
However, the early goal seemed to settle the nerves of the players and we began to impose ourselves on the game, winning the midfield battle, the impressive Vaughan began to see more of the ball and started to run at the visiting defence. A period of Alex possession was ended by a mix up in the Alex rearguard which resulted in debutant Sagi Burton throwing himself at the ball to prevent Scott Mcgleish from running through on goal. The lack of communication in the heart of the Alex defence was much like the comedy of errors which we saw on Tuesday night, however the impressive Burton took control of the situation and literally threw himself at the ball and the attacker to form a shield and ultimately bring an end to the Colchester attack.
Burton made an impressive start to his Crewe career, moments later he was called into action again when Sodje was deceived by a long through ball, only for Burton to calmly head the ball back to the thankful Cayton Ince. The Alex had few chances after scoring and almost found themselves back level when Scott Mcgleish's powerful header looked destined for Cayton Ince's net until an acrobatic dive and one handed fist prevented teh U's drawing level. Ince somehow managed to divert the ball from the goal and push it from the goal line, much to the Gresty Road end crowds delight.
The Alex reached half time a goal to the good and with a platform to progress in the second half, they weathered the early pressure and managed to take their only real chance in the half.
The second half began in a slow fashion, neither side making any great efforts to attack, and it was not until a dazzling run from Welsh u-21 star David Vaughan that the scoreline seemed destined to change, the electric pace of the winger carried him past the first midfield man, and then a turn and burst of pace left two more Colchester players bemused until Vaughan reached the edge of the U's penalty area, he unleashed a thunderous drive, had the keeper beaten yet the ball somehow sailed a foot past the upright.
The Alex pilled more pressure on the visitors and seemed the more likely side to score, the impressive Vaughan linking well with Lunt and also collecting the knockdowns from Hulse, but failing to make significant inroads on the Colchester backline.
Sagi Burton fell awkwardly and was replaced by another homegrown talent, Richard Walker. The burly centre half was a straight swap for Burton with Foster and Wright switching from left to right back, respectively.
A smart through ball from Lunt found Ashton in space 30 yards from goal, he collected the ball, turned, brushed aside the Colchester defender and powered a 20 yard drive towards goal. The visiting keeper somehow managed to push the ball upwards, onto the crossbar and the ball rocketed back into play. This was Ashton's first meaningful effort on goal, and seemed destined to find the back of the net.
Lee Bell then replaced the tireless Sorvel and immediately began to impose himself on the tired Colchester midfield, his awareness and combative style pushed the Alex on a tempo as they searched for the killer second goal.
It wasn't long before the Alex faithful were soon back on their feet, after great work from Hulse on the right touchline, he managed to cut inside and after delaying his pass, he slid the ball to the onrushing Bell, who smashed the ball home from 18 yard. The crowd sighed with relief as the three points were guaranteed and the beem on young Bell's face was an indication of his delight at opening his Alex goal account.
John Miles completed a hectic few days by making his first Alex appearance, replacing the excellent Hulse, and he immediately began to show just why he was offered a deal at the club after spending the summer on trial. His sharpness was clear to see, as he wasted no time in attacking the now tired Colchester defence. The referee blew for time as the Alex finally registered their first victory of the season, not performing to the best of their ability, but at this time, the three points are a welcome addition to a squad seemingly low on self belief after a sow start to life in division two.
Next up....
Huddersfield away, a week today!