Crewe fans turned out in force for this important game. Surprising the Blackpool stewards and police around 900 turned up to pay on the gate, to add to the already big gate. It looked around the 3,000 mark for the away crowd. It was hot, not sunny though, with that sea air around. Many fans took a stroll around Blackpool and the pleasure beach before hand but the one thing the Alex were there for was this big game.
It was door die. If we lost we would face a massive set back and hand Cardiff a chance to over take us. Cardiff will travel to Chesterfield on Sunday. The promotion race is hotting up now though. Today Bristol City and Q.P.R won, Bristol City are within 5 points of us and we play them at Gresty Road on Tuesday. Q.P.R are 7 points behind and we play them later this month. Oldham only drew 1-1 with Cheltenham, so much for that easy run in they were boasting about.
So, onto the game. There was definitely a real buzz around the place. Fans are now starting to believe we’re on the right form with a great chance to get promotion at first time of asking. The game was rather spoilt by Blackpool’s away stand being 20 yards from the pitch – a real strain on the eyes. The players looked to want it for the first 15 minutes. We were half looking like the side at Luton but the final ball just ruined it. Time and time again we attacked but Lunt, Brammer, Sorvel, Vaughan and Sodje couldn’t deliver the goods and Blackpool were just plucking the ball off us with ease. Blackpool though didn’t look bothered. They didn’t want to get sweat on their shirts. It was a very young Blackpool side but it was obvious they have nothing to play for and their fans obviously knew that barely breaking out in a song.
We incidentally struggled to create any decent chances. The first meaningful shot ‘on target’ was probably when Lunt cut inside from the right and from 20 or so yards lashed a shot onto the top of the cross bar. Blackpools first chance didn’t come much earlier when Ince palmed a looping cross onto the head of Taylor but from 4 yards out could only head over. Blackpool made an early change with Milligan on for Coid.
We still probed the Blackpool defensive line but we were failing to get any decent balls to the 1 striker, Dean Ashton. Jack often went out wide while Lunt couldn’t get forward. It left Ashton having to do all the work on his own, trying to beat 3 or 4 players at a time, he did it sometimes though. It forced Dario into admitting defeat with his tactics and on the 35th minute Hulse came on for Efe Sodje, who had had a poor game in the first 30 minutes. Instantly we looked more threatening as Hulse got a chance with his first run when his perfectly timed run found him free in the area however he fluffed the chance and never got a decent touch on the ball.
Blackpool played mostly down the wings and tried to get a low squared ball across the box but they were all poor and all into Ince’s hands. Apart from that it was a half of decent passing football, although we maybe milked it and always played one more pass than necessary. Half time and with the last ten minutes in the 1st half of Crewe dominance the Alex fans were confident.
We felt a bit left out at half time with the stand being so far away from any sort of form of life and the ‘tannoy guy’ not hooked up to the away stand, it was rather lonely. Talking of the ground. The away end and the stand to the away fans right were both tatty and something from 50 years back. However the stands to our left and in front were flashy and very nice. Blackpool plan to finish the ground over the next year or so by just copying the other stands and joining them on. No doubt it will be an excellent ground when complete.
Second half saw us start a more direct play. There was still o sense of urgency about our play though and almost like we were saving ourselves for Tuesday, at home to Bristol City. We were however attacking, Dean Ashton was yet again influential up front with his surging runs, power and pace, unfortunately never got a decent chance on goal. Sorvel on the other hand did have a decent shot when a little scramble in the Blackpool box led to it being squared to Sorv on the edge of the area who smashed it, it looked to be going over but, it smashed the bottom of the cross bar and bounce out and straight into the keepers hands. I was starting to get the feeling it’s one of those days where we fail to convert any chances and Blackpool would get a little break and snatch it.
More evidence of this was when a scramble in front of goal should have resulted in a goal It was a corner from the right which, if I remember right, was headed on goal by Walker, which was palmed out, Sorvel then hit on large but bounced up off a Blackpool player and Hulse’s rebound header went straight into the keepers arms.
The all important goal didn’t come much sooner. A little punt up field found Hulse in the area with his back to goal and a tangerine shirt on his back, the defender then got a foot in but the ball kindly rolled into the path of Lunt to run onto and from 6 yards out hit a weak shot at the keeper – and it somehow went into the back of the net. The 3,000 Alex fans roared into celebration songs….. meanwhile all the Cardiff fans started crying, which is nice to know.
There was a massive sense of relief. You could have been easily fooled to think we were going up as f*cking champions. The last 20 minutes or so were played out. Dean Ashton made some amazingly timed runs but with no urgency to get another goal he played a game with Blackpool by seeing how long the ball could stay in the corner without being touched – I would say 45 seconds at least.
The seasiders had a shot or two, both off target. The only heart stopping moment was when Blackpool got a corner in the dying seconds, it certainly kicked the fans nerves into touch until Vaughan smashed clear and the whistle was blown by the ref.
4 points was a nice comfy cushion but as I write this Cardifff are 3-0 up at Chesterfield. So it’s a 1 point gap with us and Cardiff on the same amount of games. With our toughest game of the run-in on Tuesday we need to be at our best. Bristol City are the form team of the division, we aren’t bad either with 4 wins on the trot and just one conceded. Our defence is doing it’s job now – just holding firm. I can’t remember a meaningful attack from the opposition since Plymouth scored 3 games back. Our attack is also going to score, it’s the best in the division and no-one can argue with that. Both will be needed on Tuesday as Bristol City’s attack isn’t bad.
