Two More Midfielders Ruled Out

Lee Bell and Michael O’Connor have been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Blackpool. O’Connor sustained a knee injury last weekend, and although the club are optimistic he will be back within a month, it is the sort of injury that can persist. Specialist Dai Rees has told the club that there is no ligament damage, though a further scan this evening should give the club a better idea of when O’Connor might be back in action.

Meanwhile, having recovered from a broken foot sustained in pre-season, Lee Bell has suffered an ankle problem and is expected to be ruled out of Saturday’s game.

In addition to Bell and O’Connor, Tony Grant remains a few weeks from fitness, whilst potential midfield replacement Billy Jones is also injured. David Vaughan should be fit despite a toe infection, whilst Gary Roberts’ chances of playing rest solely on the FA’s decision of whether or not to overturn his red card.

It appears that only David Vaughan, Ben Rix or Chris Flynn will be available for selection of all Crewe’s midfielders on Saturday. A reported loan move for David Brammer, who has found himself out of the Stoke side since the arrivals of Hendrie and Diao, appears extremely unlikely at the present time.