Crewe capped off a unbeaten week in the run up to Christmas with another point, this time at the league leaders. After a unfortunate draw at home to Gillingham and a fantastic win at Crystal Palace the confidence still wasn’t that high on the way down to a rain drenched Hawthorns.
Dario stuck to his word and fielded the same team that beat Crystal Palace:
INCE
TONKIN MCCREADY FOSTER WRIGHT
LUNT B.JONES COCHRANE
VARNEY ASHTON S.JONES
The game started with the usually pattern of Crewe sitting back and it cost. West Brom showed their class and within five minutes forced Clayton Ince into a top save. Jason Koumas’ corner was volleyed from the ‘D’ by Andy Johnson, it was a curling dipping shot which Ince managed to parry away after getting down low to his left. The confidence booster only lasted two minutesd though. After being pinned by a quick thinking imaginative West Brom side they finally took the lead, albeit a fortunate one.
A long Koumas cross from the left wing deluded everyone and caught Ince scrambling across his goal line as the ball curled and bounced goal wards towards the left post. Ince managed to palm it off the line but a failed clearance by Tonkin saw Bernt Haas storm in and smash home from five yards.
It wasn’t a good sight and Crewe needed to get a grip before it was 2-0. Thankfully they did and after couple of minutes of West Brom pressure Crewe started to frustrate West Brom with the closing down play.
Things started to pick up and counter attacks were hitting West Brom. The first good chance for Crewe didn’t come until the equaliser. By now it was a fairly even match with both teams passing it around. Lunt and Billy were spraying balls left right and centre for Deano to run onto. The goal, though, came from a corner. Kenny Lunt whipped it in from the left to the near post. Steve Jones got ahead of his maker before guiding the ball past Hoult into the bottom right corner. Much to the delight of Alex fans.
After that West Brom just weren’t themselves. Former Alex hero Rob Hulse was booked for going in very late, with two feet, on David Wright. Afterwards Andy Johnson smashed well over from the edge of the box.
On the 27th minute Luke Varney had a wonderful chance for Crewe. The 21 year old was left totally unmarked, by two defenders, when David Wright hit a wonder cross to the far left post. Varney jumped but couldn’t get over the ball and his header flew into the back of the stand behind the goal.
Scott Dobie’s header was a yard too short before he was pulled down by Foster after clearly getting the better of him. Foster simply took Dobie’s feet before he got free on goal and the ref booked him. From the free kick, Billy Jones gave another one away. About 25 yards out Jason Koumas lined it up…tension in the West Brom ends… and it hit’s David Wright in the 3 man wall.
Hulse then had a couple of chance’s on the 35th minute. First McCready did enough to put him off after he ran onto a through ball and then on the edge of the area he turned and curled it over in one move.
In the last five minutes of the first half Billy Jones and Rob Hulse clashed heads following a corner. Billy went off with a cut head and Adie Moses replaced him.
Despite all the pressure it was us who was to have the last laugh. Scott Dobie fired a shot straight at Ince and from that we hit on the counter attack. Steve Jones crossed it in from the left and inton the 8 yard box where Ashton was stood. Fans were baffled when he just tapped it down in front of him instead of aiming at goal but it soon became clear as David Wright came rushing in from nowhere to tap home. 1-2.
It was David Wright’s 3rd goal of his career - his 2nd against West Brom.
Second half
Crewe came out the tad brighter side and in the first five minutes Cochrane set himself up for a crack on goal from 25 yards but the former Hayes midfielder smashed it over by quite abit. West Brom’s Jason Koumas shot straight at Ince’s feet which summed them up for the second half.
They ‘tried’ without any threat. Crosses were over hit and shots were weak and straight at Ince. Rob Hulse was a regular contributor. Twice he got the better of Adie Moses down the right but only to hit his shot straight at Ince from an angle.
He couldn’t have been faulted for his header on the hour mark. A corner from the left saw him rise above everyone else only for fantastic reactions from Ince to parry it out off the goal line. Crewe had possession but rarely made worth while chance’s.
The one time we did saw Luke Varney so unfortunate. Cochrane held it up for as long as he could as he ran down the centre of West Brom’s half. He then set Jones off down the left wing who cut inside before squaring it across the goal face. Varney and a defender slid in on it but both missed it and it rolled out of reach.
It was only 10 minutes later that West Brom would equalise. It all came about from nothing when Paul Robinson turned and crossed into the area. 90% of the time it would be a harmless cross but Sean Gregan ran into the area unmarked and seemed to just bump into the ball before it roll into the bottom right corner. A goal that was coming but wasn’t expected…
Luke Varney tried his look from the edge of the area on the 78th minute but it bobbled wide. The only real piece of action was Luke Varney in the final seconds. WBA were hoofing it with 7 men in the box and when Varney picked it up he ran down the right wing covering the length of the pitch and beating 2 West Brom defenders - unfortunately he tried to hit and run round the last defender and totally messed up.
A points a point. West Brom seem rather bitter at dropping points against little Crewe with them making out it was a undeserved point. The chances were all there for West Brom but we had the finishing and the better defending.
MOTM : David Wright
