LUNT EXPECTS REACTION IN ROVERS ENCOUNTER
ASSISTANT manager Kenny Lunt is looking for a response from his Crewe side after they were well below their best in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at third-placed Lincoln City.
The Alex return to League One action at home to Doncaster this evening (7pm) aiming to show they are a better side than the one well beaten at the LNER Stadium.
They face another tough test, this time against a Rovers side who are fifth having won both their games under Andy Butler since Darren Moore left to take the reins at Sheffield Wednesday.
But the Alex, who slipped to 13th, have only lost four in 19 league games.
Lunt said: “If you’re not looking forward to these games, I don’t know what you would look forward to.
“We have had a tough run of fixtures and we have come out with good performances, bar Saturday, and probably we deserve more points than we have.
“If the lads keep performing then they will get the results and things will fall their way.
“Talking about the teams we are playing, it is another massive club, most of them are in this league.
“We will respect them but we won’t be afraid to perform and get a result like we have against others.
“There have been occasions where we have created a lot of chances, we are probably up there for creating chances in the league. We haven’t taken as many as we wanted but we have goalscorers from all different positions on the pitch and personnel in the squad.
“The disappointing thing is we should have created more on Saturday, more excitement and made the keeper work more.
“We never quite threatened them but it is credit to Lincoln, they stopped us and are a good team, that is why they are at the top. But we under-performed and never created the chances we wanted.”
Meanwhile, Callum Ainley stepped up his return from a hamstring injury by playing and scoring for the under 23s in their 2-2 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.
The 23-year-old midfielder has been out with a hamstring injury since the end of November but made his comeback in last Wednesday’s under-23s 1-1 draw at Wigan.
Sunday’s game was held at Nantwich Town’s Optimum Pay Stadium as part of a new arrangement between the clubs.
Dabbers chairman Jon Gold said: “We have always had great links with Crewe over the years anyway and since Dave Artell has become manager our relationship has developed with Dave and Kenny and his team. They are doing a great job.
“Over recent years we have been fortunate to take some of their players that were under-23s at the time and they have developed as part of our team because there is a difference in playing academy and men’s football.
“So, I think we have enhanced the development of those players. We have had a number of them in recent years that have gone on to be staples of their first team – people like Luke Offord, Will Jaaskelainen and others.
“Crewe have seen the value in that and it helps us as a club. They want to develop that further and our Optimum Pay Stadium is a great stadium.”