After 4 games without a defeat there was a reason to be optimistic and the form was going to be put to test with the visit of Reading. Reading on form themselves are highly tipped to be challenging at the end of the season and it was a game that was going to be a good yard stick.
Dario stuck to his word ahead of the game and played Anthony Tonkin at left back. It was either Jones, Barrowman or Vaughan for the chop and in the end Barrowman was forced to sit on the bench for only the second time since signing on the 9th October.
INCE
WRIGHT FOSTER WALKER TONKIN
LUNT SORVEL COCHRANE VAUGHAN
ASHTON JONES
Lunty beat the flu to play his 117th consecutive game in an Alex shirt whilst the rest of the team picked it’s self. The bench was also familiar. Bankole, Rix, Smart and B. Jones joined Andrew Barrowman.
The game started strangely with little atmosphere around Gresty Road. Reading brought around 400 but made little noise, despite a attempt by a small group. Dean Ashton lifted the fans a little inside two minutes. A Cochrane low ball was hit low behind the Reading defence, it somehow sneaked through to Ashton who ran onto it and caught unaware he kneed it just wide of the right post. Full back Steve Foster then smashed a volley over from a Kenny Lunt free kick.
Well on top of the game we were attacking with speed which allowed the likes of David Wright to get down the wings. Wrighty managed to get in down the right on the 8th minute but his composure didn’t show when the goal was in front of him he smashed way over the bar.
Reading pushed us a few times without creating anything noticeable. John Salako and Scott Murray on the wings were worrying but David Wright was once again immense and Anthony Tonkin exceeded all my expectations. Tonks looked comfortable like he had been in Division One all his career. He had Murray sussed, this is the same Scott Murray who ripped us to shreds with Bristol City when Paul Tierney, on loan from Man Utd, was at left back last season.
Murray was the only Reading player to have a worrying shot on goal for Reading. A Reading corner was only half cleared by Dean Ashton. Murray picked it up on the edge of the area and smashed dipping shot at goal, fortunately it dipped behind the goal. Nicky Forster did have the ball in the net early on after Foster missed a header and allowed Forster to volley in from 20 yards but the goal was ruled offside.
That was the nearest either team got before Steve Jones put us ahead for the second game running. 15 minutes in great control from David Vaughan in the middle of Reading’s half allowed him to thread superbly weighted ball behind the Reading defence and for Jonah to run onto. Jones entered the penalty area and round the out rushing goalkeeper but when he took it far to wide to the byline it looked as if he would need some help. The former Leigh RMI man though squeezed it in from the tightest of angle’s.
It livened up the atmosphere thankfully. The goal was coming, whether it was coming from us was debatable, before Jones scored. After the goal the game carried on pretty much as it was before the goal. Reading’s only threat was a couple of crosses from each wing which Incey collected with ease. For us David Vaughan went on a 20 yard run before hitting a 30 yard shot straight at the Reading keeper on the 22nd minutes.
Fifteen minutes later Reading’s Adie Williams could have been easily sent off when he fouled Steve Jones who was free on goal. A poor back pass from Williams 25 yards out allowed Jones to run onto it, Williams went in with a cynical foul on Jones to save his embarrassment. There were, however, two Reading defenders chasing back and on level with play which was probably the reason Williams only received a yellow card. The free kick was hit just wide by Dean Ashton.
Few other chances were to note. David Vaughan shot wide from 20 yards whilst Reading’s crossing fell straight into the hands of Ince. Nicky Forster had one great opportunity on the 45th minute when he wriggled his way round Walker to his a hard ball along the ground from 25 yards but Incey managed to get his body behind it.
Second Half
The second half was pretty much dominated by the Royals. Seven minutes in Ince made a meal of a save when Forster got a shot in from the right of the area, it looked to be going wide but Ince got down low to get two hands to it.
Justin Cochrane’s shot on the 53rd minute, meanwhile, was deflected into the hands of the Reading keeper. After that it was pretty much dominated by Reading and they were really threatening. Patient build up play for Reading was probably their down fall. They always made one too many passes and the fan-f**king-tastic Justin Cochrane was there to pressure pressure pressure before picking the ball up.
It was either that or Reading insisted on shooting from long range. Sidwell, Harper, Shorey and Murty all shot from long range but Murty was the only one who forced a save from Clayton Ince in goal.
After 70 minutes Crewe just seemed to want to soak up the pressure and everything that was thrown at them. Reading, I have to admit, were looking more and more likely to score as time went on. We were just holding on and waiting to counter attack. Nothing really fell to us apart from a good 10 minutes between the 55th and 65th minutes. With 15 minutes left though Dean Ashton could have sealed it.
Terrorising the Reading defence he was fed through by Justin Cochrane, Ashton just to the left of the area was, in a sense, clear on goal the keeper was a few yards off his line but Deano tried to break the nets when he smashed a curler just wide of the up right from 20 yards.
Reading then nearly had an embarrassing moment when from a Lunt free kick a Adie Williams totally miss hit a clearance and sliced it straight at his own keeper. Hahnemann needed quick reactions to juggle the ball before taking control of it.
In the last 10 minutes Reading really put on the pressure and Crewe finger nails were reducing by the second. Wave after wave of attack was seemingly calmly swept up by the back four. Sidwell carried on shooting from 30 yards and it makes you wonder why Reading brought on two 6ft strikers, Shaun Goater and Bas Savage, when neither of them were given the service to test us. Each to their own, I suppose.
Steve Jones could have wrapped it up - twice. First one a superb little lob over a Reading player straight to Steve Jones’ feet saw Hahnemann rushing out of his area but with Steve Jones also rushing onto it then there was only one man who would get it. Jonah chipped it towards an open net but unfortunately was way wide.
Then in the final seconds as Reading put everyone forward the Justin Cochrane won the ball and Justin and Jonah broke 2 vs. 1. Cochrane squared it across to Jonah who went running down the centre but he just slowed down and couldn’t keep his composure to hit the target and smashed high and wide, but it didn’t matter as it was the last kick of the game.
Reading, and their fans, will say they were unlucky and deserved a point at least but I say, if you can’t turn your possession into shots on target, at least, then you deserve to get beat.
For Crewe it was the 5 game unbeaten, technically Dario’s 6th. It’s 3 wins and two draws, with the wins against Reading, Preston and Derby and draws vs. Stoke and Bradford. A very good return from them games.
Yesterday saw a competent defensive display from a improving Alex side. We didn’t cave into Reading pressure, like we have done so many other times in other games this season. Maybe a lesson and been learned? Praise praise praise for Tonkin, Walker, Foster and Wright. They didn’t let anything slip and I can’t remember a threatening shot from inside the area all game. Tonkin was superb to say it was only his second start this season and a season of either not being able to train or being injury. His last start, against Cardiff, I thought he was looking shakey but up against one of the best wingers in the football league, Scott Murray, then there was no doubt he was one of the best players we had out there.
Midfield. Well what can we say about Cochrane that hasn’t already been said? Our, and everybody elses, man of the match. This kid closed everything down, won everything, ran his heart out for everything, made some superb passes and just simply wouldn’t let Reading rest. The boy is a special player, and for £50k…… Bargain of the English season.
Kenny Lunt didn’t look well, still a touch of the flu no doubt. Vaughany was his usual great self and Neil Sorvel, well…. Hmm, average. Upfront and Ashton is slowly winning the fans over. In each of the last 5 matches he’s given everything to the cause and once he starts scoring - will we see the special player we know he is? As for Jones, 100%, excellent etc etc… as he is every match.
Dario says a win at Sheff Utd could get him looking at the play-offs. Maybe a tad too far from Dario. Boxing day is the day we start to see where we’re going. Sheff Utd, Gillingham(x2), Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Norwich, WBA and Wigan are all before Christmas. No we shouldn’t be afraid of any team and we’re not but five of them teams are capable of mauling anyone in this division. It’s going to be a tough couple of months, I have faith in the players and if come Christmas day with are in the same sort of position we’re in now then fantastic but the players are going have to really want it and really fight for it.
Brammer should return on Saturday, after the Sheff Utd game, that will be a massive boost to the whole team. If we’re good enough to challenge the top 10 then we should go into the new year without any pride dented… otherwise.