Accrington Stanley 0-1 Crewe Alex 24/25 Review - Scrappy

I'm not letting my streak of watching every Crewe league game die after over 2 seasons. So, I finally settled down today to watch their trip to Accrington back, 2 days after the game had taken place. It was an interesting watch and one very different from my usual watches, which are done live. So, here are my thoughts on their 1-0 win:

Defenders to the rescue

Last season, the Alex got a lot of productivity from their defenders, with Mickey Demetriou and Rio Adebisi stepping up several times. They also got some goals from Connor O'Riordan. Well, this season they've seen the same. Against Bromley, it was Mickey again and then in this game, it was Zac Williams smashing a Ryan Cooney cross. It's a low number, but defenders now account for 2 of their 4 goals and 1 of their 3 assists in the league.

Solid

It's not just in the oppositions box that the Alex are getting good performances from their defenders, they are doing the business in their own end. This was their 3rd clean sheet in their last 4 and, outside of the Chesterfield game, the 5th time they've limited the opposition to 4 shots on target or fewer.

Now, part of that is that a lot of teams don't seem that strong going forward, but the defence and keeper have to take credit. Their 3rd clean sheet didn't come until game 16 last season. It's arrived 10 games quicker this time around. They limited Accy to just 0.18 xG and 1 shot on target, their lowest in an away game since Tranmere last season. They are good defensive outfit on this evidence.

Attacking Quality

I can't not address the elephant in the room: the attack. It was woeful and has been woeful all season. This game, against a confidence shot and defensively weak Accrington side was noticeably bad. Everytime the ball got within touching distance of their penalty area, passes went astray, runs weren't made, communication broke down.

It was a drab performance overall and whilst you are of course happy with the 3 points and clean sheet, it's hard to see this level of performance being enough to get them past Wimbledon, Gillingham and Doncaster coming up in October. And with Chris Long and Omar Bogle's injury statuses being unsurprisingly uncertain, I'm not sure how it gets better.

Restless

And having the benefit of looking at fans comments after the game, it seems the general mood around the club, despite 3 wins from 3 and 4 unbeaten, isn't universally positive. The style of play and continued leaning on a back 5 and 2 uncreative midfielders is causing increased grumblings.

You have to wonder what comes next. Do the results taper off, as they did under Gudjon and Steve Davis? Or will we see Bell become bolder with his team selections and demand a more expansive style? It feels like the only thing saving him are results and the moment they start to dip, his position will come under scrutiny. I question where things go long term.

Ref Assessment

A very quiet game for him. A couple of bookings, there was the usual inconsistent stuff, but nothing egregious.

Management Assessment

Being hard to break down and hard to beat takes you only so far. Do they have the ability to set up an attack minded team that focuses on creating chances and scoring goals? I'm yet to see it. And I think sooner or later, we're going to have to.

Player Assessment

Filip Marschall

Aside from one scary moment, he was solid once again, having little to do but doing what he needed to.

Jamie Knight-Lebel

Picked up a booking but had a comfortable afternoon against a limited Accrington attack.

Mickey Demetriou

Another strong performance and another appearance in the team of the week. In other news, water is wet.

Zac Williams MOTM

Was having a fairly routine game until he popped up with the late winner, which tips him over the edge to get my MOTM award.

Ryan Cooney

Slowly coming back from what looked like a lost cause to a player that might be useful. Can he sustain his improved form against better teams and be consistent? Too early to tell, but he's been good since coming back in as a starter.

Max Sanders

Had a decent effort in the 1st half, but his forward passing remains an issue. He was fine though.

Conor Thomas

Another game where he gives you exactly what you expect. Defensive solidity, backwards passing and precious little else. Give me Tabiner or Breckin in there please.

Joel Tabiner

Had some nice moments where he picked up the ball and looked to make things happen, including an early shot that dribbled wide. Still would like to see more from him.

Max Conway

Not as involved as previous weeks and he's still struggling to get to the hour mark in games. I'd have hoped his fitness work would have been better by now, as with Charlie Finney out on loan, they don't have a natural left sided player to replace him with.

Jack Lankester

Not really in the game, I think it's fair to say he's been fairly disappointing to start his Alex career.

Kane Hemmings

More of the same, plowing a lone furrow and getting very little joy. It's just a shame he's the only semi-reliable striker they've got fitness wise.

Subs

Matus Holicek

Didn't have much chance to make an impact, he's still struggling to find his role in the team. 9 touches and 2 accurate passes, eek.

Shilow Tracey

Another who came on and had limited impact. But then, haven't we got to the point now where that's expected with him?

Kian Breckin

Watching him celebrate the goal was funny. That's about all I can remember him doing in his short cameo.

James Connolly

Came on in the latter stages and seemed to take a whack, so hopefully that's nothing serious.

Overall Verdict

A win and 3 points is great an all. But football is an entertainment business at least in part, spare me the "If you want entertainment, go to the circus/cinema" shtick. And the Alex are arguably the most boring team in the EFL right now. That's fine as long as results keep coming, but should they fail to win in the coming weeks, Lee Bell will have nowhere to hide. Let's see where they are come game 10.