Tomorrow afternoon sees Crewe Alexandra host Stevenage at the Alexandra Stadium.
This Season:
They sit in 5th place in the league after wins against Tranmere Rovers, Stockport County, Rochdale and Carlisle United, drawn against Walsall and lost against Salford City.
They have beaten both Reading and Peterborough United in the Carabao Cup to set up a home third-round tie against Charlton Athletic while they also beat the Posh in the opening EFL Trophy game.
Transfers:
This summer has seen the club make 13 signings, 9 permanent, and 4 season-long loan deals. Goalkeepers Aaron Chapman and Taye Ashby-Hammond (loan) as well as defenders Michael Bostwick, Max Clark, Carl Piergianni, Kane Smith, Dan Sweeney. Midfielders Jordan Roberts as well as loanees Dean Campbell, Saxon Earley and Alex Gibley and forward David Amoo complete the signings.
They have allowed 19 players to leave the club permanently while 2 players have joined non-league clubs on loan until January.
Head-to-Head:
Alex Wins: 6
Boro Wins: 5
Draws: 3
Biggest Alex Win: 5-1 at Broadhall Way in December 2019
Biggest Boro Win: 3-0 at Gresty Road in October 2013
Last Meeting
Crewe Alexandra 3-1 Stevenage, 7th March 2020
Chris Porter opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute before Charlie Kirk doubled the lead 18 minutes after the break. Ryan Wintle added the third midway through the second half before Charlie Carter scored the consolation in the final minute.
Alex: Jaaskelainen; Ng, Nottingham, Offord, Pickering; Jones (Finney 77), Wintle, Ainley; Powell, Porter (Anene 80), Kirk (Dale 77)
Stevenage: Farman; Wildin, Digby, Nugent, Leesley; Carter, Parrett (Kennedy 59), Lakin; List (Carroll 71), Cassidy (Mackail-Smith 37), Kemp
Played for Both:
The following players have been contracted to both teams:
Goalkeepers: Dean Greygoose
Defenders: Danny Blanchett, Ryan Kirby, Callum McFadzean, Ben Nugent, Mark Roberts, Efe Sodje, Ashley Westwood, Harry Worley
Midfielders: Andy Bond, Anthony Grant, David Gray, Steven Schumacher, Steve Walters, Simon Walton
Forwards: Chuks Aneke, Lee Barnard, Anthony Elding, Marcus Haber, Harry McKirdy, Daniel Udoh, Offrande Zanzala, Calvin Zola
Officials:
The officials for this game have been announced here with Tom Nield the referee, Chris Isherwood and Blake Antrobus are his assistants with Ross Joyce the fourth official. The following Crewe games have been refereed by Nield in the previous 5 years:
- Chesterfield 0-2 Crewe Alexandra (26th December 2017) – Porter, Kirk
- Crawley Town 1-2 Crewe Alexandra (28th April 2018) – Ng, Pickering
- Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Cambridge United (27th November 2018) – Ainley, Miller
- Crawley Town 1-2 Crewe Alexandra (20th August 2019) – Wintle, Green
- Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Crewe Alexandra (15th February 2020) – Pickering
- Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Fleetwood Town (26th December 2020) – Mandron
Opposition View:
I asked Stevenage supporter Aidan Cheevers for his thoughts going into the game.
How would you describe last season and the first few games of this one?
Last season was disastrous, to say the least.
Three different managers meant no real stability could be put in place, that is until Evans came in. Since then, we’ve slowly turned into a completely different side. We’re so much stronger defensively and can play different styles to suit different in-game scenarios.
The first few games this season have been very good.
Which position is the one that you should have improved before the transfer window shut?
I’m not sure about improvements per se, but we really could’ve done with another centre-back and defensive midfielder for depth. Given we play a back three now, having only four centre-backs doesn’t leave a lot of room for rotation.
What do you think the team will be for the game?
I think we’ll stay with the back three and the two wing-backs, with a three-man midfield with the aim of shutting off the supply line to Crewe’s more creative players.
Who is the danger man for this game?
With Elliott List out injured for the foreseeable future, I’ll go for Luke Norris. He hasn’t had the best start to the season, but once he has that fire in his belly, he can be unplayable. Very strong striker who’s brilliant with his feet.
What do you think is a realistic aim for the Boro this season?
I predicted us to finish in mid-table this season, and I stand by that. Whether we have the depth, consistency etc to mount a playoff push remains to be seen, so I think this will be a season where Evans will make us tough to beat again, but not quite have enough to push for the top 7.
