Accrington Stanley v Crewe Alex 24/25 Preview - Ending Hoodoos
- Standing Alone
- Sep 13, 2024
- 4 min read
Hmm. The Alex have been doing a reasonable job of ending unwanted stats lately. They put their home issues to bed(for now anyway) last week against Morecambe with a much needed win. Now they have the chance to really build some momentum with their 3rd win in a row. Should they get a win and sit on 10 points from their first 6 games, then suddenly what felt like a terrible start changes completely. But, let's see them do that first. Here is my preview of their visit to Lancashire:
A struggle
I don't know why, but the Alex always seem to struggle at this ground in the league. Since 2009 when the Alex first visited the Crown Ground, they are 1-1-6, but bizarrely are 3-0 in the cups. Now, this isn't the Accrington of old, as the Alex picked up a draw there last season in the post John Coleman era. Maybe that signals a change in their fortunes when they head there in the league this time.
Winless
Just like last week against Morecambe, the Alex are facing a winless opponent and that makes me very nervous. Accrington's run under John Doolan is dreadful. Since he took full time charge of the club, they have 2 wins in 15 games in all competitions, with 37 goals conceded in that time. Their only clean sheet in that run was against, you guessed it, the Alex at the start of April. But there is no getting away from the fact that they are on a terrible run of form right now and this game is perfectly set up for the Alex to record their 3rd straight win.
3 in a row
Speaking of that, the Alex only twice last season managed to win 3 league games in a row. One was in late October and early November, where they picked up 3 wins over Harrogate, Doncaster and Notts County. And the other was when they won 4 against Bradford, Mansfield, Swindon and Barrow in January. Winning 3 in a row isn't easy, but the Alex, for all their warts at the moment, will have the opportunity to do just that. Let's hope they can take it.
Dirty
The Alex will have to watch out for the rough treatment in this game though. Accrington sit 2nd in the number of fouls committed and have the joint most yellow cards with 16. It seems their frustrations at being without a win might be getting to them. I just hope the ref is strong and doesn't let their rough tactics decide the contest.
Ref Watch
David Rock
Why does the EFL hate the Alex? Why do they keep getting saddled with some of the worst refs in the game? Of which David Rock sits comfortably in the top 5. His performance in the Alex's 3-2 home defeat to Cambridge back in 19-20 is the stuff of legend. Now, he did do a more low key 0-0 draw against Walsall in 22-23, but either way, this appointment is bound to send shivers down the spines of Alex fans.
2024/25 Record: 5 games(2 League One, 2 League Cup, 1 National League), 28 yellows, 2 reds
Last Game: Stevenage 0-1 Lincoln City, EFL League One, 31st August 2024, 7 yellows, 1 red
Crewe Alex Record: 0-1-1, 4 yellows, 1 red
Injuries/Absences
Accrington
Accrington should be about to welcome back strikers Kelsey Mooney and Jimmy Knowles, who missed last weeks game with illness. Other potential absences of Jay Rich-Bagheulou and Liam Coyle, who also missed last week.
Crewe Alex
Oh look, Chris Long out injured yet again. Quelle surprise. At least he looks to be the only addition, with Tom Booth now back in the squad. The injury list, for now, remains mercifully short. Charlie Finney won't be in the squad after he joined Buxton on loan.
Team

Chop and change, chop and change. With this being an away game, I'm more at ease with sticking with the 3 at the back. To be honest, I don't get the sense that we'll see(barring any new injuries) any changes from the side or squad that won last week against Morecambe.
I'd still like to see a greater attacking intent from the group and that starts with getting 1-2 more attackers in the team. But Bell's defensive approach, which is what it is, will work better away from home, so I almost don't mind him sticking with what's done ok(to a certain extent) again. There will be a temptation to start Bogle or Lankester over Tracey, who was probably the least effective player last week, but I'm not sure if we're there yet.
Bogle probably won't be able to give you more than an hour at the moment, so starting him alongside Hemmings seems foolish given you'd be left with no strikers off the bench to bring on if you're chasing a goal. This is where having no Long hurts, as you are really limited in how you can change things upfront. The clubs inability to get another attacker over the line in the summer window is already starting to sting.
Score Prediction
The Alex will never have a better chance to end their hoodoo on this ground and net their 3rd win in a row. That being said, Accrington will be desperate to get their first win and will do anything and everything to get it. This will be a big test of the Alex's recent improvement. I'll stay positive and say they'll grab a narrow win.
Accrington Stanley 1-2 Crewe Alex
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