Crewe Alex: Ticking Over

A draw against Mansfield: we`ve hardly set the world alight with that now have we? At the same time, I think it`s a pleasing result. Here`s why.

Something we`ve failed to do is ensure that we keep our point tally ticking over. There have been some very depressing times in the last few years which we all know all too much about. The reason we did so badly was because we went through awful barren spells.

We`d go on huge streaks without picking up any points, then rely on random loanees from the Premier League signed in February to somehow fire us to safety. There is no more emergency loan window, and no more patience from the Alex faithful for such desperation so late on in the season.

That`s why I think our point against Mansfield was important. We want to go up this year, and I think that the playoffs is a realistic objective. We need to be doing better to get there, but I don`t think we`re miles off the level required. It`s also worth noting that we`re level on points with the team in sixth place, and only three points off second place. Things aren`t looking too bad.

We are in a different league now, so you`d expect better from us relative to our competition anyway. However, I think we look a much more organised team and that bodes really well at this stage.

I keep going back to this: we`ve drawn against Mansfield. That means we`ve won three; lost two and drawn five of our last 10 games. No, we`re not steamrolling this league but we are looking competitive and points are ticking over.

There are improvements to be made, no doubt, but the important thing is that we are picking up points. This league is a marathon: not a sprint. If we remain difficult to beat, and just pick the level of football up slightly, we could very well get there.

We`re not being complacent, but let`s be content with where we are now: it could be better, but it could be an awful lot worse.