King goal lifts Crewe off foot of the table
OLDHAM boss David Dunn called on his players to stand up and be counted after they slipped to their third successive defeat against Crewe.
Adam King’s fifth strike of the season proved enough to secure backto-back wins for the Railwaymen and lifted them off the foot of the table.
But following losses over the past week to Barnsley and Southend with defeat at the Alexandra Stadium, Dunn admitted he could not defend his players’ performance.
“I’m probably a little bit speechless if I’m being honest cause I’ve said that much in the changing room,” he said.
“I think sometimes in life you’ve got to stand up and be counted and I said it last week about standing up and being responsible for your own performance and quite honestly, I can’t really defend it.
“I really am not seeing enough desire to really want to go out there and put a performance in.
“Especially when the chips are down, as that’s when your real men stand up and be counted. If you watch Crewe, they looked like a side that were bottom of the table and they scraped for absolutely everything and I’m not sure we did.”
The Latics nearly took a ninth minute lead when Brian Wilson headed Mark Yeates’s free-kick just wide. But the Railwaymen made the Oldham rearguard pay when they failed to deal with Semi Ajayi’s long 21st minute free-kick which was headed across goal for King to rifle past Cornell.
Ryan Lowe nearly doubled his side’s lead with a sublime 40th minute curling strike from the edge of the box which flew inches off target.
Crewe midfielder James Jones unleashed a 58th minute rocket which sailed just over as the home side searched for a second.
With ten minutes to go, Jake Cassidy again found space on the right and crossed for Danny Philliskirk who fired wide and Ryan Wintle blazed over with an 84th minute effort after Ryan Colclough's jinking run.
Crewe first team coach James Collins admitted that matchwinner King still has to work hard but lauded the Swansea loanee's goalscoring abilities.
“He’s got to improve his football and he’s got to improve his defending but he gets goals, and if you’re a midfield player who gets goals, someone will always want you because they’re few and far between,” he said.
“We got the goal, which obviously helped getting that one goal lead, and then we saw it through quite well in the end I thought without too many scares. I think that was important after winning midweek.”