Over 3,000 Alex fans blasted out songs at the Britannia Stadium in a game that certainly won’t be looked on as a classic. For only 20 minutes did any first division following football show, and that was from Crewe Alexandra. The team remained untouched after 2 wins on the trot.
INCE
VAUGHAN FOSTER WALKER WRIGHT
SORVEL COCHRANE LUNT
BARROWMAN ASHTON JONES
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Crewe were shaky at the start with obviously more expectation on their shoulders. Inside the first 60 seconds Ade Akinbiyi nearly raced through on goal. Vaughan thrashed out at a clearence on the half way line but the ball totally caught him out and went into the path of Akinbiyi. He raced down down the pitch going out wide but he failed to match Walker for pace, and Walker is hardly Dwain Chambers, and credit to Walker who got bal and did a superb sliding tackle from behind to send the ball out for a corner. The corner didn’t threaten.
The game was scrappy from the start and the referee didn’t help who played along to Tony Pulis’ constant moaning on the touchline. It actually took 8 minutes for Crewe to mount our first real attack, after Akinbiyi headed well wide from 6 yards after Walker put him off. The attack came from a corner after Jonah troubled the Stoke defence, Ashton’s header glanced wide at the far post.
It was clear already that the game wasn’t going to be a great one. Stoke had dirty tactics of needing the physio every time we started to look threatening. In midfield Justin Cochrane was very quiet, Sorvel was looking abit edgey and whilst Kenny Lunt was working hard his final ball wasn’t looking the part. Up front Barrowman was holding the ball up well and Ashton was brilliant.
Ashton was running at everything and closing down the Stoke with every
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The Crewe play was good with excellent closing down play from the whole team. Steve Jones was causing a lot of problems down the left and constantly getting corners. Our corners were dismal though with only Ashton heading straight at Ed De Goey in the Stoke goal.
Whilst the defensive play was good the attacking play was abit bland with no flair and pace about it and Stoke usually nipped in to get the ball while we were faffing around. On the stroke of half time Stoke had a good range free kick, the free kick came about when Neil Sorvel won the ball with a tackle from behind but the referee thought otherwise. The referee’s performance was dismal, he constantly got decisions, not tackles but just simple ones like who the ball went out off, wrong and on a couple of occasions over ruled his linesmen. The free kick was about 30 yards out just to the right of the Crewe goal but Kris Commons smashed over into the 3,000 Alex fans.
The game was heading for a 0-0 draw with neither keeper actually being at all tested in the first half, but whatever Dario Gradi said to the players at half time, it certainly worked. The players came out buzzing and ready to ‘rumble’ Stoke.
From the start of the second half the players played some slick fast passing and cut through Stoke like warm butter. Within 20 seconds a dominant Ashton fed Jones down the left, Jones cut in at the by line before a squared ball across the goal line was cleared for a corner by Clint Hill. Barrowman and Ashton then both showed their presence, Sorvel threaded a ball down through to Barrowman who took the ball to the edge of the area before shooting, his shot was parried high into the direction of Ashton but unfortunately he smashed the ball well over.
Whilst that parry didn’t cost the former Chelsea keeper, Ed De Goey, the next one would. Crewe attacked straight from the goal kick, a scrappy ball was picked up by Ashton on the edge of the area, he bamboozled a couple of Stoke players with neat football before smashing a shot in from inside the area, De Goey parried it across the face of goal but birthday boy Steve Jones pounced onto it to volley in for his 5th so far of the season.
Crewe fans went wild and you could hear the frustration in the Stoke fans, of
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Four minutes later the ever impressive Barrowman got forward again and his low shot from the edge of the area was parried round the post by Ed De Goey. From the corner Richard Walker should have had a penalty, the ball was cross in and Foster smashed his header straight at Richard Walker. Walker tried to convert the ball but as he threw his foot at the ball he was dragged back by a Stoke defender. The Crewe fans, most with a perfect view of it, looked at the ref simply waiting for him to blow his whistle but shockingly waved play on. Richard Walker and Steve Foster both couldn’t believe it.
By now Crewe were cruising and everything seemed to go right, Cochrane’s shot was heading a few yards wide but Stoke were kind enough to send it for a corner anyway. Dean Ashton was scaring the Stoke City to death, not with just his on the ball action but his off ball movement and closing down, his best chance of the match was when he ran completely unmarked onto a Lunt free kick but he header was straight at De Goey. While the closest Stoke got to goal was a 25 yard shot blasted over by Kris Commons.
On the 71st minute Steve Jones was replaced by Anthony Tonkin, making his 5th appearance in a Alex shirt and his first for just under a month after an injury and having the flu, shame some fans love to gossip. Ade Akinbiyi worried Crewe for the first time when he finally left the pitch and replaced by Chris Greenacre. How that man ever graced the premiership, or is even in Division One, is beyond most football fans - and it’s easy to see why. Dean Ashton moaners would have more enjoyment watching him in one match than they have done in their life.
David Vaughan played further forward after Tonks came on and to much relief after a poor day in the defensive department for Vaughany.
Andrew Barrowman smashed inches wide with 10 minutes to go. Stoke though were starting their urgent play, I.e. hoof the ball further. Gifton Noel Williams had their best chance with 7 minutes left when from the edge of the area smashed a shot and it curled….. Away from goal about 15 yards wide.
Then a scramble in the box saw the Stoke fans on their feet, but being at the other end of the pitch all the Crewe fans saw was Ince with the ball clutched to his chest. Cross after cross saw the penalty area under quite a lot of pressure and Crewe unable to get the ball down into the corner. Unfortunately Stoke broke lucky for an deserved goal.
A corner from the right was half cleared, then hit back in and then half cleared before Asaba smashed it at goal from the edge of the box. Clayton Ince had it covered until Chris Greenacre managed to convert the ball just in a different direction to send it into the back of the net.
89th minute and we concede a late equaliser, it was like Millwall(Away) all over again. Another gutting goal. It only gutted you even more when Barrowman should have scored in the final seconds. The little Scot raced free on goal from a Cochrane ball, he had acres of space and in the 93rd minute just needed to chip the ball over De Goey or just round him but Barrowman failed to keep his cool and tried to nut meg De Goey who was quick to react to sit on the ball.
The performance was ok, it was nothing special and I don’t agree we were excellent. We lack any sort of attacking flair in the first half and the second half, although good, we didn’t make the chances count.
Dean Ashton was my man of the match. He’s a class player and always has been. Yesterday showed it with intelligent runs, some excellent closing down and was none stop running.
Richard Walker was also great at the back. Other mentions - Steve Jones simply troubled Stoke by running, Kenny Lunt with some excellent balls and Barrowman for the simple stuff, like holding up the ball and bringing others into play.
After the game was the most controversial point. As fans made their way out of the ground a massive brawl broke out at the bottom of the way end, involving about 10 stewards and 200 Crewe fans. The arguments started when the stewards chucked two Crewe fans out for jumping over the advertising board whilst celebrating the goal. The stewards showed no common sense and instead of simply ushering the fans out of the ground, or even just chuck them back into the stand, they jumped on top of them and virtually assaulted them.
After a steward returned from chucking a fan out he got abuse. The abuse was nothing more than any steward would get after doing something like that, football players and managers get more stick than that, yet he thought he was wise to show the away fans two of his fingers. Songs are songs - they mean nothing. The steward was then taken to steward the Stoke fans - the joy. Only to return at full time. He got more stick before the whole thing broke into a fight. Three or four stewards had to be pulled out from it and from my view punches were trying to be thrown from both sides - fans and stewards.
All the stewards who were involved in that should be sacked, no question. All the Crewe fans who were caught on CCTV inciting the violence should be banned by the football club. Harsh? No. The stewards were asking for it. The 50 or so fans who actually got involved WANTED it. They wanted the Stoke stewards to react and when they did the 'fans' loved it and Crewe don't need them idiotic prats. Like Stoke don't need them brainless stewards.