Crewe Alex 2-0 Gillingham 24/25 Review - Stepping Up

Let's be honest here, how many fans expected a win when they saw the team sheet at 2pm? I know I didn't. But then, this is where Lee Bell's Crewe Alex thrive, when nobody believes in the them. When nobody expects anything from them. Write this team off at your peril. We can question the quality of this group, but the spirit and togetherness we saw for the vast majority of last season and most of this season is evident as they pulled off a shock win over Gillingham. This is my review of the game:

Stepping Up

Shilow Tracey has come in for a lot of criticism and rightly so. Stuck on 0 goals and 0 assists, he stretches defences and causes problems, but that rarely translates to actual production. Well today he stood up in a big way, as he bagged 2 goals and was rightly crowned the man of the match.

For his first, he was in the right place at the right time to tap in from Lankester's good work, then his 2nd was what you want to see from him. Isolate the full back, beat him with half a yard of pace and get a shot away, which he did, sending it in off the post to double the Alex's lead. He deserved all the plaudits for doing what he did.

No Striker?

A lot of people were(rightly again) bemoaning the fact that Kane Hemmings is out long term, leaving the Alex with no fit strikers with Bogle and Long's recovery stretching on and on. Well, I'd question those that say the Alex don't have a striker and I'd point to Adrien Thibaut's performance for the 2nd week running as evidence that maybe they do.

Ok, he came off the bench and starting is a whole other kettle of fish. But today he once again made an impact. He laid the ball off nicely for Tracey to run on and score, bagging himself an assist. Then he almost got his 2nd in 2 games with an audacious backheel finish which Glen Morris did well to save. He worked hard, caused Ehmer and Ogie, 2 big physical CBs, problems and was a real handful.

I'm sure Bell knows not to throw the 20-year-old into the fire and expect too much. But if he can keep performing the way he has done in the last 2 games, then maybe the Alex's attacking situation isn't so bad after all.

Fortress Gresty Road?

Is Gresty Road a fortress once again? It's looking that way. Whilst we all still have PTSD from the Chesterfield game and the horror show at home to end last season, whisper it quietly but the Alex are now on a 3 game winning run, are 4 unbeaten and haven't conceded a goal since Chesterfield bagged their 5th on 49 minutes in that opening day home debacle. That's 401 minutes of football without conceding.

And what's more, it's no fluke. They never looked like conceding today, one late miscommunication aside. They limited Gillingham to 1 shot on target. Harrogate had little until their late rally. Swindon and Morecambe had nothing either. They are hard to break down at home. And with 2 goal shy teams in Salford and Tranmere next up at Gresty Road, there is no reason why these positive stats can't continue.

All Round Display

It's rare that you see a team display which was lacking in passengers and was full of players who all had similarly good games. But today was a team win if ever there was one. The keeper stepped up when needed to keep his clean sheet. The defence made very few mistakes. The midfield snapped into challenges and didn't give Gillingham time to settle. And the attackers were a handful. Nobody struggled, nobody hid and didn't contribute. That is the most satisfying thing of all.

Ref Assessment

I thought he got a few decisions wrong, but the howling against him was a little OTT for me. The only thing I will disagree on is the Alex somehow emerging with 3 bookings and Gillingham zero. That was ridiculous.

Management Assessment

Set them up as best they could and weren't afraid to throwing the youngsters on in the 2nd half, which is how it should be. There is still a question to be asked about why they are having to turn to these youngsters so early in the season, but today isn't the day for that discussion. They deserve praise for getting the best out of a depleted group.

Player Assessments

Filip Marschall

Mistake free, claimed crosses and came up big to deny Nevitt late on. Just the bounce back game he needed. Stands alone as the only L2 keeper with 5 clean sheets to his name.

James Connolly

It was him and Demetriou who almost allowed Nevitt in to score, but he made the most of his surprise recall with a strong defensive display.

Jamie Knight-Lebel

His last game before heading off on International Duty, he'll be a miss. Was calm, composed and you barely noticed him in the middle CB spot, which says a lot about how he did.

Mickey Demetriou

Another strong and solid game. Didn't stand out like he normally does, but then he didn't need to as everyone else raised their games around him.

Ryan Cooney

He's gone from the butt of jokes to one of the best full backs in the league. I'm not even joking. He was strong again in keeping Jayden Clarke quiet. Looks full of confidence, Donny will be a big test for him.

Kian Breckin

Aside from his yellow card, he was really good, looking to try and play through balls in behind the Gills defence. Worked hard and ran himself into the ground.

Joel Tabiner

Operated in the middle of the midfield and looked composed in what he could do.

Max Conway

Did his best in an emergency CM role and I know he puts in a lot of effort, but I just worry, once again, about his lack of fitness. Exhausted after an hour, he was rightly taken off.

Zac Williams

Filled in ably at LWB, won some headers late on to keep the pressure off and coped well against Jack Nolan.

Jack Lankester

Got a nice assist on Tracey's opener, the only concerns were him picking up his 4th booking in 4 games and his withdrawal at HT, which was hopefully because he was walking the tightrope, not because he was injured.

Shilow Tracey MOTM

Maligned. Criticised. But he kept his doubters at bay with 2 well taken goals and all round hard working display. The trick now is to produce that more often. Cooney has seemingly come back from the brink. There is no reason why Tracey can't.

Subs:

Adrien Thibaut

A right handful. He's going to be a crowd favourite if he keeps going like this. Add an assist to his goal from last week.

Matus Holicek

Did give a silly free kick away late on, but other than that he got stuck in and looked to carry the ball up the pitch.

Owen Lunt

A welcome return after missing the last couple of games. Didn't have much to do, but his late run to win a throw in stood out.

Callum Agius

Not much he could with the limited time he had on the pitch.

Lewis Billington

Won a couple of clearances, but like the 2 above him, there wasn't a lot he could do in a few minutes of game time.

Overall Verdict

We don't yet know how high this group can climb. And how much injuries will hold them back. Next week at Donny will be their toughest test to date by far. But as I said in my intro, write this team off at your peril. If the injuries do ever clear up, this version of Crewe Alex could make some noise once again.