Evans: I saw them celebrate like that in the Champ

It’s hard to know what to make of Steve Evans’ post-match comments. Genuine compliments or patronising tosh?

The Crawley boss certainly knows how to talk up his side, giving the impression that the Alex and fans were more in awe of Crawley’s presence than anything else.

Such are the delusions of grandeur that you have to assume it was a mere wind up attempt from the controversial manager but disrespectful tones are not unknown from Evans.

Having seen his usually rampant side held to a draw by 10 man Crewe, it’s perhaps natural he was to be a little irked but the game he reflects on certainly isn’t the game 3,600 fans at Gresty Road witnessed.

Speaking after the match Evans said he last saw Alex fans celebrate a result like that in the Championship and praised referee Stuart Attwell, despite feeling Adam Dugdale should have seen red for allegedly throwing a punch (at Steve Phillips?).

‘Fair play to Crewe. They’ve probably never worked as hard in a game before.

‘I can’t say to my players work harder but I can perhaps say work a little bit smarter, if we worked a bit smarter we’d have won.

‘I don’t think many in the ground didn’t think if it was a boxing match the towel would have been thrown in on 60 minutes, but it’s not a boxing match and you have to put the ball in the net

‘This is probably the first time the Crewe public have seen us and I think they’ve seen a good side who pass it and move it.

‘You saw the reaction when they got a draw, I’ve seen celebrations from Crewe fans like that before but they were in the Championship then.

‘I never saw [the sending off]. I thought another of their players (Dugdale) should have gone when he punched the goal keeper.

‘To be fair to the referee, I thought he controlled both teams well.’