Steven Dale tells us about the entertaining cup tie at Ewood Park on Tuesday
The game at Ewood on Tuesday was a fantastic advert for the EFL cup or the league cup; depending on how traditional you are.
In truth, the game could very easily have ended up 6-5 to either side as both Blackburn and Crewe missed a number of key chances. The biggest for me was Callum Saunders miss when the game was still 2-1 in favour of the Alex.
,br>That was a massive moment, the tie would have been dead and buried if he had taken that opportunity. Instead, as fine margins go – they equalised shortly afterwards. Game on, when it should really have been game over.
Although it was a questionable change from Davis to bring on George Ray, which saw him move Bakayogo into a further forward position. It probably wasn`t as negative a change in hindsight as me and the people around me thought at the time.
I can see what Davis was thinking, although I did throw a few swear words and hand gestures towards the bench when I realised the change was being made.
Youngsters are at the end of the day, extremely hit and miss. Yes they can win you a game, but players that age are fragile; delicate and can easily go missing in situations in like. The game was poised and could have gone either way, mistakes would have proved crucial. As we eventually discovered anyway, mind.
Maybe Davis thought that having an older, wiser head further up in Bakayogo would reduce the chances of mistakes being made. As said above, youngsters are delicate and it is a vital part of their development that the manager manages them properly and protects them when they see fit to do so. Where youth development is concerned, a manager doesn`t just have to know when to use them, they must know when to take them out too. Something that a certain Dario Gradi used to do so well.
Rovers were a side quick on the break at the end of the day, I lost count of the amount of times they broke quickly in the second half. The physical demand may have been too much for said personnel anyway, without the added pressure of trying to produce a moment of quality too.
I did feel that although I have defended the decision up to now, that the wrong defender was brought on in the first place. Ben Nugent, for me would have been the better option. I do fear that Nugent`s days with the Alex are numbered, however. The management team have spoken on a few occasions this summer about how they would be prepared to let a centre half go should a club come in for them.
Nugent just seems the obvious fit at this moment in time. He`s now fourth in the pecking order and although I don`t think Davis and Guthrie are bad footballers; Nugent is probably, realistically the only one who would demand any kind of interest.
He`s played at the highest level, the most well-known and the one who probably needs the least looking after as he`s experienced other ways that professional clubs operate, something that neither of the other three have.
He wouldn`t be my choice, but he`s the obvious choice. Time will tell.