Dario returned to a massive applause from the main stand whilst captain Dave Brammer was also welcomed back for the game against Derby. Along with Brammer there was a debut for Andrew Barrowman, on loan from Birmingham, and also 16 (and 208 days) year old Billy Jones made the bench. So the team looked like:
INCE
VAUGHAN FOSTER WALKER WRIGHT
JONES BRAMMER COCHRANE LUNT
ASHTON BARROWMAN
The start of the match was a fairly even match. Both team hustled and bustled in midfield for the ball with neither team giving too much away. Kenny Lunt’s shot in the first couple of minutes wasn’t going to trouble Lee Grant in the Derby goal as it sailed past the left post but neither was Tom Huddlestone’s shot for Derby. The 16 year olds volley went flying onto the rail track on the other side of the family stand.
We were, maybe, just edging it during the first ten minutes and what a relief it was to see an early goal, in fact it was the first goal we’d scored in the first 40 minutes of a match since the opening day of the season. The goal came via debut boy Barrowman. The terrier of a striker was putting pressure on the Derby defenders to clear quickly as he closed down every opportunity and when Mills, in the centre of the Derby defence, tried to rush the clearance of Kenny Lunt’s through ball he totally missed the ball and fell over. Barrowman raced down the centre, free on goal, with the keeper advancing he tried to chip/curl the ball over the keepers head but the England U-21 keeper managed to palm it down, but only into the path of Ashton.
Deano hit a scuffed shot which ended up at the feet of Barrowman on the penalty spot to just tap home past the defender on the line. Barrowman raced off in celebration, unfortunately no other Alex players joined him as he pointed to the back of his shirt in front of the Railtrack Stand.
Barrowman nearly put Cochrane free on goal just minutes later, had it not been for some Derby defender to scupper his master plan. Crewe were on a high now and were finding all sorts of paths towards goal. Barrowman and Ashton seemed to link up really well, in fact it’s the best I’ve seen Ashton link up with someone in a long while. Deano got down the wing a couple of times, moving out wide from upfront, but his cross was collected by the County keeper.
Fifteen minutes in and it was still a pretty even with both teams seeing the opening but not quite making it happen. It was, however, a very unconvincing display by Derby and by now you weren’t afraid they were going to take a goal any moment as they just didn’t look like they would in a million years. Ok, so, they huffed and puffed but they just weren’t strong enough. Danny Dichio and Ian Taylor both scuffed shots from 25-30 yards which went bobbling into Ince’s arms. Meanwhile every cross was being dealt with by Ince.
With Huddlestone and Mills both on the left and right wings for Derby they were more than a handful, and yet only sixteen. They both smashed crosses in left right and centre and when Derby weren’t getting their own way they just barged into Ince a couple of times. The first time was clumsy attacking play by Derby on a corner…. It left Ince with what looked like a knee/thigh injury… And we’ll come back to the other times in a minute.
Anyway…. Barrowman and Ashton were still causing problems upfront whilst with Jones reborn on the left wing it was troubling for Derby. It was Jones who made the second goal on the 23rd minute as well. The Derry Dasher went on a little run down the left whilst Ashton peeled away from 3 defenders in the box and onto the far post. Jonah’s beautifully lofted ball to the far post was volleyed first time by Ashton into the bottom left corner.
At two-nil the game settled for Crewe. Derby were deflated and we sat back knowing we could step it up at any time if the need be. Tom Huddlestone had another 25 yard half volleyed shot on the half hour mark which was saved by Ince, again, and Daniele Dichio probably had Derby’s best chance of the half a few minutes later. Dichio managed to just get in front of Foster with the ball and from 18 yards hammered it low at the bottom left corner but Incey managed to get two hands to it to bring it into his chest.
Ince then fell victim to another challenge. Derby’s Ian Taylor was running onto a lose high bouncing ball in the area. Incey managed to recover it but Ian Taylor smacked into Ince who went up into the air before falling awkwardly on his arm/back/leg. After a couple of minutes though the Trinidadian was back on his feet, but limping.
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The man himself was called into action late on in the first half. Three minutes before the whistle Lee Holmes somehow cut inside down the right and fired a shot from a tight angle at goal but Ince managed to parry it out for a corner. Ince then collected the corner with ease.
Straight from that Brammer broke down the middle and right into Derby’s half unchallenged before he sent a sweet curling shot at the bottom right from 25 yards but Lee Grant was more than equal too it. Unfortunately the captain had his return from injury cut short when he was taken off with a ‘minor knock’ in first half stoppage time, replaced by the one and only Neil Sorvel.
It was so nice to go into half time with such a comfortable lead….. And so onto the second half.
The second half was pretty much all Derby. They piled on the pressured but as I said above they just didn’t look dangerous enough to score a goal, never mind 2 or 3. Within 5 minute Zavagno sent a 25 yard shot over the Gresty Road End and onto the streets of Crewe. Valakari and Huddlestone also tested their chances of a couple of shots from the same distance. Valakari made Ince get his body round the ball but Huddlestone went well wide.
Derby were certainly trying everything and Zavagno had been learning stuff from the TV. He ran with the ball into the area and when Walker took it off him he replayed the Hakan Suker dive from last week vs. England. Not one bit of contact he just threw he arms in the air and went for it, of course the ref told the idiot to get up.
The best non-scored chance of the match went begging midway through the second half. Lee Holmes sneaked through a gap in the Alex defence before flashing his shot inches, if that, wide of the left post. Then Dichio flashed a couple of headers within heart stopping distances of the goal mouth, but we held on.
Barrowman was subbed for Ben Rix and went off to a standing ovation after a brilliant performance from the 18 year old. Rix came on and sat on the left side, Jones moved up front. It didn’t take long for Rix to make a impression on the match. As he made it three-nil. It actually all started with a counter attack, which we had been threatening for most of the second half. Lunt’s through ball into the penalty area sent two Derby defenders into confusion, Rix nipped in behind the two, still being marked by a third, before a little dink over the keeper made it 3-0.
After that Derby couldn’t handle being thrashed 3-0 by ‘ikle ‘ikle Crewe and started getting rather frustrated. Zavagano was booked for trying to catch the ball (no kidding) whilst the ball was in play. Then Ian Taylor was sent off 2 minutes before full time. Taylor went in hard on David Wright on the right wing, about 30 yards out. Seemed as everything was ok and a free kick was awarded until Taylor went over to Wright and tried to drag him up off the floor by his neck/shirt. Cochrane stormed into sort it out and it took a few players to calm him down before sorting the rest out, with Taylor being sent off after being given a yellow card for the tackle and a yellow card for the violent conduct. With Dario on the touchline seeing everything right in front of him he immediately pulled Justin Cochrane off and put 16 year old Billy Jones on.
After that it just silly and the ref should have just blew the whistle. Deano was holding up the ball in the corner when a little flick of the elbow from Michael Johnson got him booked and then when Ashton won a corner from the ‘time wasting’ Tom Huddlestone was booked for dissent. And so it finished 3-0.
So nothing too spectacular but the players certainly did their job. The lift of Dario and Brammer was obvious and there to see.
The team played well as a team. The defence only let one thing slip through the net as they remained absolutely solid for the clean sheet. Its Clayton Ince who gets the CreweAlex.com man of the match. Playing through pain and being knocked about yet he collected every ball thrown into the box and stop every shot on target with ease.
The back four were solid, and Fosters heading was absolutely brilliant. David Wright, although not rated by as many as I would like, I think continues to show why the likes of Leeds and Fulham want to sign him this January.
In midfield. Well, Jones certainly suit’s the left side more. Brams was inspirational until being taken off and Cochrane was as good as ever. Whilst Kenny Lunts final ball was top. Upfront, well read the article “Barrow-the-man” . Barrowman and Ashton - quality partnership.
We’ve finally got the win. We’ve finally got a clean sheet and we’ve finally found a decent strike force, maybe. Ok, so not up there with the Nottm Forest display but it’s one hell of a confidence booster. Bring on PNE….. Then the clay heads!