Tomorrow evening sees the first Alex game for two and a half weeks as we travel to Morecambe’s Globe Arena with the hosts looking to complete a league double after a win in South Cheshire in September.
NB: The game kicks-off at 7:45 pm not at 3:00 pm.
This Season:
They sit in 21st place following wins against Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield Wednesday, us, Lincoln City and Fleetwood Town, they have drawn with Ipswich Town, Accrington Stanley, Plymouth Argyle, Charlton Athletic and Fleetwood while they have lost against Rotherham United, Gillingham, AFC Wimbledon, Doncaster Rovers, Wycombe Wanderers, Burton Albion, Cheltenham Town, Oxford United, Cambridge United, MK Dons, Sunderland and Portsmouth.
They lost to Preston North End in the Carabao Cup 2nd Round after knocking out Blackburn Rovers in Round 1 while they travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup 3rd Round after knocking out Newport County and Buxton. They finished bottom in their EFL Trophy group with defeats against Everton’s Under-21s, Hartlepool United (on penalties) and Carlisle United.
Transfers:
There have been no transfers since the last meeting.
Head-to-Head:
Alex Wins: 8
Morecambe Wins: 4
Draws: 3
Biggest Alex Win: 6-0 at the Alexandra Stadium in August 2018
Biggest Morecambe Win: 4-3 at Christie Park in April 2010
Last Meeting:
Crewe Alexandra 1-3 Morecambe, 21st September 2021
Adam Phillips gave the visitors the lead in the 8th minute before Arthur Gnahoua doubled the lead 19 minutes later. Mika Mandron reduced the deficit 4 minutes after the break before Gnahoua added his second 5 minutes from time.
Alex: Jaaskelainen; Ramsay, Daniels, Thomas, Adebisi; Lundstram, Robertson, Ainley (Finney 84); Kashket (Porter 75), Mandron, Bennett
Morecambe: Letheren; Cooney (McLaughlin 57), Wootton, O’Connor, Leigh; Phillips (McCalmont 73), Diagouraga, McLoughlin; McDonald (Gibson 57), Stockton, Gnahoua
Played for Both:
The following players have been contracted to both teams:
Goalkeepers: Joe Anyon, Lee Jones, Danijel Nizic, Mark Smith
Defenders: Richard Annan, David Artell, Harry Davis, Adam Dugdale, Dean Howell, Anthony Hughes, Darran Kempson, Greg Leigh, Chris McCready, Kelvin Mellor, Dave Miller, Christian Mbulu, Ritchie Sutton, Adam Yates
Midfielders: Antony Evans, Jim Harvey, Peter King, Chris Lightfoot, Joe Lynch, Andy Lyons, Dave McKearney, Lee Molyneux, Neil Sorvel, Steve Walters
Forwards: AJ Leitch-Smith, Shaun Miller, Neil Morton, Jon Newby, Vadaine Oliver, Jason Oswell, Tom Wagstaffe
Officials:
The officials for this game have been announced here with Sebastian Stockbridge the referee, Daniel Woodward and Gary Hilton are his assistants with Robert Madley the fourth official. The following Crewe games have been refereed by Stockbridge in the last 5 years:
- Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Cambridge United (1st April 2017) – o.g.
- Crewe Alexandra 2-0 Grimsby Town (1st January 2018) – Porter, Walker
- Carlisle United 1-0 Crewe Alexandra (25th August 2018)
- Bury 3-1 Crewe Alexandra (1st January 2019) – Porter
- Crewe Alexandra 6-1 Crawley Town (16th March 2019) – Bowery, og, Porter, Green, Kirk, Dale
- Crewe Alexandra 2-0 MK Dons (26th September 2020) – Mandron, Finney
- Blackpool 1-1 Crewe Alexandra (2nd March 2021) – Walker
Opposition View:
I asked Morecambe supporter Jack Steer, trustee for the Shrimps Trust, for his thoughts going into the game.
How would you describe the season so far for the Shrimps?
A struggle. A good start has quickly been replaced by a bad run of form which has seen us slide down the table into the bottom four. We are probably a handful of points away from where we need to be and it will be important to pick up some key points this Christmas period ahead of looking at the second half of the season after a January window.
What is the position that you think needs strengthening in the upcoming transfer window?
We have weaknesses in defence at the moment which is shown in our goals against column, particularly due to conceding from set plays. We probably also need a bit more steel in midfield, and competition for Cole up front that can also contribute to our goal tally – not much to ask for?
Are there any players that you are missing from this game?
We have a few players in the injury room at the moment but of course, the key concern will be keeping players covid-negative. A high vaccination rate amongst the squad seems to be keeping the virus at bay, but there is no doubt that at some point we will fall victim to the inevitable.
What would be the team that you would pick for the game if you were in charge?
Without going through the whole team, I think Aaron Wildig is an important part of our team that has been missing over recent weeks. As well as bringing a bit of creativity, he also makes runs into the box which I think we have been missing. Jon Obika has also made a comeback into the side – after a long injury it is going to take him time to get up to speed, but I would continue to pick him and hope that he can bag a goal quickly to give him a boost to his confidence.
Who is the danger man for yourselves?
Cole Stockton, without a doubt. Our target man has been in fine form since promotion and is our leading goal scorer, as well as that for the division. Not only has he been scoring plenty of goals, but he is also a thorn in the side of any defence, and definitely our number one danger man.
What is the target for this season?
Survival. As simple as that. First-year in League One and the aim is to stay there. We have been promoted perhaps ahead of when we are actually ready to make the move up but made huge strides in a small space of time. If we can stay up this season, then it buys us more time to cement ourselves at this level. That is the target and hopefully, we can do enough in the January window to do so.
