HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR AGYEI AFTER PENALTY EARNS ALEX AWAY VICTORY
FOOTBALL: Crewe Alex striker Dan Agyei said practice paid off as his first-half penalty earned his team a 1-0 win at Swindon.
The 25-year-old converted confidently after Kelvin Mellor had been tripped in the area, sending his spot kick down the middle and into the roof of the net after keeper Solomon Brynn had gone to his left.
The goal was Agyei’s sixth of the season and, although he said the three points were more important than individual accolades, he was pleased to see training ground work pay off for the goal.
He told the club: “I’m always confident with penalties.
“I practice them a lot – I practice against Arthur (Okonkwo) and he is a top keeper. I picked my spot, I knew the keeper would dive, and I’m glad it went in. But the most important thing is the three points, and the fact boys are feeling confident now.”
The win was Crewe’s third in a row to lift them a place to 15th in League Two and was also their third successive clean sheet. Agyei said: “We have a real togetherness as a team and it shows on days like this. We defend for each other and we put our bodies on the line.
“When we are at home, we are always competitive, but recently we haven’t been as competitive away from home. So, it’s good to get a win and hopefully that will give us more confidence. “We had to work hard, but we train hard to prepare. We train for scenarios when we will be tired in the game, and we train while we are tired too.”
Crewe return to action on Saturday when they are away to League One Barnsley in the second round of the FA Cup. They earned their place with a 1-0 win at home to Leyton Orient in the first round.
· KEEPER Arthur Okonkwo was named in the League Two team of the week for his efforts in helping Crewe keep a clean sheet at Swindon.
The 21-year-old, who is on loan from Premier League leaders Arsenal, was named in an XI that also includes former Crewe defender Omar Beckles (Leyton Orient), Joe Mattock (Harrogate), Priestley Farquharson (Newport), Alex Newby (Colchester), Alex Pattison (Harrogate), Shaun Mcwilliams (Northampton), Jaheim Hedley (Harrogate), Josh Gordon (Barrow), Luke Armstrong (Harrogate) and Kristian Dennis (Carlisle).
· CREWE Alexandra Women FC were 6-1 winners at home to Darwen FC at the Alex Soccer Centre on Sunday. Manager Matt Fisher made one change to the side beaten at West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup as Emilia Edwards came in for the injured Beth Grice. Crewe raced into a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes with goals from Laura Garner and Beth Ragdale – and didn’t look back as further strikes from Garner, Shanice Finbow and two from Amanda Fallon earned the points on a comfortable afternoon.