Sky focused on Gresty Road for the afternoon for the visit of West Bromwich Albion and their 2,200 fans. It added a little bit more of an atmosphere to the game, but it was also helped with last weeks 2-3 win at Wigan, as for the first time this year we played at home having won our last match.
The team saw a return for David Vaughan, in at left back, and it was the only change of the afternoon…
Ince
Vaughan- Foster - Walker - B.Jones
Hignett - Sorvel - Cochrane - Lunt
Ashton - Jones
The game started openly with both teams on the attack. West Brom were having the better of the attacking play whilst Crewe steadily grew with confidence. The first chance of the match fell to Mark Kinsella of West Brom whose low header from the edge of the area was never going to trouble Ince on the left post.
However, down at the other end was, probably, the most controversial point of the game. Jones’ pace took him down the right wing and he cut inside the penalty area. Paul Robinson went in for the tackle but Jones knocked it round him but as Jones tried to get past Robinson, Robinson’s trailing leg quite clearly brought Jones down. The referee just ignored the appeals and play went on.
Jones could have made up for the disappointment though, with just 8 minutes played. Ashton picked it up in midfield, spread it out to Hignett on the left wing who knocked a beautiful ball over the back four where Jones ran onto it but from 10 yards out he scuffed his first time volley and it weakly went into the arms of Russell Hoult.
Hignett then tried a shot of his own from the edge of the area, his curling shot was deflected over but the referee ignored his appeals and gave a goal kick. After the first 15 minutes or so West Brom started to come into the game abit more. A couple of dangerous headers from Horsefield and Hulse went inches wide and corners were being won from nothing - particularly when Steve Jones headed ‘back’ to Ince.
We were finding it abit harder to break the ‘Baggies’ down and most, if not all, our spark was coming from Dean Ashton, playing for those scouts again - you know, the 30 odd ones who are there week in week out. His snap shot in the 28th minute nearly troubled the Bromwich defence, a low bobbling ball from 25 yards saw Hoult fumble it nearly into the path of the on rushing Steve Jones.
Within five minutes of that Deano oh so nearly made it 1-1. Lunt laid it off to him down the right and he took it a few paces forward before firing a curling shot along the ground from 25 yards, it looked to be sneaking in at the far left post but somehow Russell Hoult thumbled it just wide enough for a corner.
From the corner, we won another corner and from that, Billy Jones nearly did it again. Lunt hit it high towards the edge of the box, Billy stood and fired it curling towards goal but this time it didn’t hit the top corner - it went straight into the keepers’ hands.
Steve Jones then had a glorious chance, put through by Hignett he was one on one with the keeper on the edge of the area but Jonah, playing without confidence, scuffed it and the keeper parried it out of the area. The ball fell to Lunt but the keeper came rushing out of his area to go for the sliding tackle. Lunt managed to keep hold of the ball but with Hoult persistently trying to clear the ball, the ref gave a free kick… just as Sorvel cross it into a goalkeeper less penalty area.
Before the end of the first half, Horsefield fired inches wide from 20 yards and Rob Hulse tried his first real shot from 35 yards after being given acres of space, that flew miles over the cross bar. Not literally.
Second Half
The second half started brighter for West Brom. Rob Hulse, who gave so much in his 4 years as a Alex player, fired just wind from a low 25 yard shot. Then, before the 50th minute, came a superb spell from Clayton Ince in goal.
Andy Johnson’s 25-yard shot forced a one handed diving save from Incey but that only knocked it into the path of Geoff Horsefield. Ince got up and got across in time to tip the ball out for a corner.
Within minutes, Ince was called back into action. Horsefield down the left cut in and hit a powerful shot from the angle but it smacked Ince on the arm and went out for another corner. I don’t think Ince knew much about it though.
Like West Brom in the first half, it took us 10 or 15 minutes to get ourselves into the game but the difference was we managed to score when we did get back into it. Ashton took it from 5 yards outside the area into the left side of the penalty area but with a man trailing him. First thoughts were that he was going to cut it across the face of the goal but the 20-year-old hit a screamer between the near post and the keeper into the back of the net. He was denied celebrations by an over protective ref.
However, with Crewe, you always know it is never that simple. We can never keep a lead for 30 minutes, which is what is required. Why do our goals always lift the other team?
Well, Rob Hulse went off to a fantastic reception from Alex fans whilst Lee Hughes replaced him with a chorus of boos. Lloyd Dyer also came on for the boinging baggies. Therefore, within 6 minutes you were neither shocked, nor surprised, that we managed to let them equalise. Lloyd Dyer crossed into the area from the left, no one was marking Andy Johnson and whilst4 of our defenders stood idle he toe-poked it into the bottom right corner.
Within 4 minutes, the 72nd minute, you knew what was coming and it did. Lee Hughes, our real bogey player. He has scored 11 goals against us in 11 games he has played against us. We love to hate him. Geoff Horsefield from the left crossed it in low to the near post. Hughes got ahead of Foster and simply tapped the ball to guide it into the back of the net. The 2,200 Albion fans went crazy.
You could say we couldn’t believe our eyes but, we could. We have done it so often this season, only last week we let a 0-2 lead at Wigan slip needing a 93rd minute Ashton goal to save our blushes. We have dropped about, I believe, 15 points this season through goals in the last 3 or 5 minutes of games and dropping leads.
We now faced an uphill task of breaking down a West Brom side settling for the 2-1 win. Steve Jones had a second penalty appeal turned away by the referee when he went down under two challenges from two different Albion players. He was then ignored when he was brought down racing clear of the West Brom defence - a sending off offence that the referee once again refused to see.
The last 20 minutes were of nothingness, other than that. The only other time we did breach the West Brom defence showed why Jones simply needs confidence. He broke free from a fantastic Ashton ball into the area and smashed his shot towards the far left corner…. It beat the keeper and was destined for the back of the net but somehow, only Jonah knows how, the ball went no more than an inch wide. How???
The keeper looked back at his goal and when he saw it went wide he looked more relieved than the 2,200 WBA fans put together. In the final few minutes after that we were dire. What we were doing, god, or Dario, only knows. We were passing it along the back four as if we were strolling to a comfortable victory. I know Dario does not like the team hitting it long in the final seconds, but atleast attack!
Player Ratings:
Clayton Ince - 8 - Some superb saves and excellent kicking. Confidence is back for him… thank god.
David Vaughan - 6 - Poor defensive display, let his attacker past him too often. His attacking play was nothing that special either.
Stephen Foster - 8 - Good, confident performance. Everything you’d expect from him, perfect tackling, winning headers and finding people with his distribution.
Richard Walker - 8 - By far his best game of the season. Didn’t allow Hulse time or space on the ball, won every header and tracked back when Vaughan and Billy Jones were AWOL.
Billy Jones - 7 - There’s no stopping this kid. Great tackling, passing and crossing. A 7 is judged on his ability, anyone else would get a 9.
Craig Hignett - 6 - Something quite not right with Higgy. The ‘can’t be arsed’ attitude sneaks into his play a lot. Good creativity, other than that he won’t be missed should he return to Leicester any time soon.
Justin Cochrane - 7 - Average performance from Justin. Huffed and puffed and got on their nerves, just fizzled out towards the end.
Neil Sorvel - 7 - ‘Good game, good game’. Showed a lot of his passing ability, got into the game and went in for 50/50 challenges. Still needs to be abit sharper on the ball.
Kenny Lunt - 5 - Dreadful passing, dreadful set pieces, dreadful tackling (Not that he made one)… dreadful performance.
Dean Ashton - 8 - Dario said he was ‘Outstanding’… agreed here. Took the limelight when it came to creating the chances, took his goal superbly as well. He’s showing his true potential and heading for 20+ goals this season. CreweAlex.com Man Of The Match.
Steve Jones - 7 - Very much like other recent performances. In and out of the match, unlucky the referee didn’t like him though. I still believe a big rest for Jonah is needed.