ARTELL DETERMINED TO SEE ALEX EARN JUST REWARDS
CREWE Alex manager Dave Artell takes his side to MK Dons today out to ensure they don’t squander more points.
The Alex looked set to earn a point against League One leaders Hull City on Friday after Chris Porter and Josh Megennis had traded penalties.
But with the game in injurytime, Malik Wilks popped up for the Tigers to secure the spoils and keep them on track for an instant return to the Championship.
Artell says his side were unfortunate to lose, but must learn to keep hold of reward when they have it in their grasp.
“It was a good game between two good sides and it looked like it was going to end up 1-1 and I think that would have been a fair result,” he told the club’s website.
“I am not sure that either side deserved to win it but if any team was likely to win it was us with the chances we had but it wasn’t.
“Then Wilks has hit a deflected shot that has hit the post and has gone in. That is what happens when you are top of the league, you score a deflected shot in the 91st minute.
“That is the next stage of our development. We have to realise the state of the game in the last 10, 15 minutes and make sure that we don’t get done in midfield and there is a foul in there before the ball gets to Wilks.
He added: “It wasn’t deserved but that happened too many times this season. We have dropped 10 to 15 points that we probably didn’t deserve to and that is the next stage that we have to learn from.”
The defeat leaves Crewe in 15th place in the table ahead of this afternoon’s visit to MK Dons.
MK Dons were without a game on Friday after their match at Lincoln City was postponed because of a Covid outbreak in the Imps’ squad.
Crewe won the reverse fixture between the sides - and MK Dons coach Dean Thornton says they are out for revenge.
He told the MK Citizen: “I think we owe them one, they did a job on us at their gaff and
I hope we do a job on them at ours.
“From our point of view, we were really disappointed by that game. It was really early on, but I think there’s only a handful of players in that team who started the last game. We’ve come a long way since then.
“Crewe are a very good team. Our analyst speaks very highly of them, and watched more of them than anyone at the moment because of how they play and their individual players.
“They’re very strong at the attacking end of the pitch so I have to be on my toes to keep the keepers ready for the game.”
Meanwhile, Crewe have announced that Charles Grant will be the club’s new chairman.
Previous incumbent John Bowler stepped down following the publication of the Sheldon Report into child abuse in football.
Jimmy Rawlinson will be the new vice-chairman.