Crewe Alex 24/25 Monthly Review - October

Month number 3 done. And for Crewe Alex under Lee Bell, their 3rd month unbeaten in the last 2 seasons, adding September 2023 and February 2024 to the list. It's been a strong October for the Alex, as they navigated some tricky fixtures to emerge with a decent record and a nice looking 5th place in the standings. Here is my review of October for the Alex:

Looking Back

The Alex went into October looking for a bounce back result after losing their last game in September to Newport. Facing them was a tough looking Gillingham team who were sat top of the table. This was also on the back of the tough news that they'd lost Kane Hemmings to a broken foot. However, they belied the difference in the standings by coming away with a very encouraging 2-0 win, thanks to 2 goals from Shilow Tracey of all people.

Next up they faced another tough game, this time a trip to the Keepmoat for a rematch of the play-off final 2nd leg. Once again, the Alex went into the game after losing an influential attacker, as Jack Lankester joined Hemmings on the sideline. But once again, the Alex didn't shy away despite having Tracey and Holicek as 2 false 9s and they put up a spirited display, getting their noses ahead in the 2nd half through a great run and finish from Max Conway. They let the lead slip after being caught on the counter, but if finished 1-1 and all in all, it was definitely a decent point.

Back home they came and faced Salford under the horrible Karl Robinson. Robinson set his team up to bully the Alex and it worked to a certain extent, as the Ammies went ahead early. But the Alex hit back and Ryan Cooney of all people powered in a header to equalise. Unfortunately the rest of the game just because a procession of free kicks, with little football being played. That meant neither team could get on top and another 1-1 draw was the result.

Their run of draws looked set to continue as they headed up to Fleetwood and what in truth had been a drab game was heading towards a 0-0 as the clock ticked into the final minutes. However, the Alex had been growing into the game as time wore on and they were to get a stroke of luck as a clumsy challenge felled Owen Lunt in the box and that allowed Cooney to score from the spot and grab his 2nd in 4 days and give the Alex an unlikely win.

To round off the month they faced Tranmere, their 2nd closest opponent after Port Vale. They fell behind to a controversial early opener, as Cooney appeared to be pushed in the build up. But, the Alex dusted themselves off and worked their way back into the game. Goals either side of half time from Tracey, both from Cooney crosses, put them ahead, before a late Joel Tabiner header sealed the win. It meant the Alex finished October unbeaten with a 3-2-0 record.

U21s

Well, this section looks very different than what it did before Tuesday's shambles. I was going to say that the U21s had shown signs of improvement. A 2-0 defeat at Barnsley started off the month, but back to back home wins over Peterborough and Birmingham looked to have this group moving in the right direction. Not to mention progress in the Cheshire Senior Cup by beating Stockport Georgians 4-2.

However, they finished the month with a disgraceful 10-1(yes, ten) defeat at Sheffield United. No doubt the Blades youth set up is always impressive, but this was a starting XI that had Booth, Billington, Finney, Powell and Agius in it. 5-1 down within half an hour and losing in that fashion is unacceptable, regardless of what you think of this level of football.

U18s

It was a mixed month for the U18s. They started off with a 2-0 defeat at Bolton in the Development League Cup. As only group winners progress to the knockout stages, that coupled with their opening draw against Fleetwood, likely puts paid to any hopes they had of progress. In the league they recorded 2 respectable away draws at Hull(1-1) and Coventry(2-2) to sit in lower mid-table in the North Division.

They have a busy November, with 4 league fixtures and an FA Youth Cup trip to Solihull Moors, plus they'll need to send players over to the U21s for the Congleton Cheshire Senior Cup game should that be scheduled for this month.

Injuries

Starting off with the good, for the first time since last October, I am able to bring Jack Powell off this list. He's been working his way back to fitness with the U21 and is closing in on a first team return.

Unfortunately, Jack Lankester is on this list, although the hope is he'll be off by December and maybe a bit sooner. Chris Long continues to nurse(or milk) his hamstring, with him now being crowned the world's slowest healer. His return is imminent, although for how long he'll be back before going down again, who knows.

Another concern is Fin Roberts, who has missed the last couple of weeks with an unknown ailment.

Player	Injury	Possible Return Date?
Jack Lankester(RW)	Hamstring	Mid-Late November 2024
Kane Hemmings(ST)	Foot	December 2024
Chris Long(ST)	Hamstring	Early November 2024
Nathan Robinson(CB)	???	Late 2024/Early 2025
Fin Roberts(RW)	???	???

Loans

Charlie Finney completed his loan spell with Buxton and was immediately put back into the squad for cover for the injured players. Whether he'll have the opportunity to go back out again I don't know. We'll also have to see if Callum Agius or Lucas Sant head out as well, but you sense the ship has sailed on Owen Lunt, with him now looking like a regular in the squad.

Player of the Month

Ryan Cooney

I can't not give it to Cooney. Yes, Tracey has 4 goals this month, but Cooney has 2 goals and 2 assists, not to mention a number of top class performances. He's the easy winner for the 2nd month in a row.

Previous Winners:

August: Filip Marschall

September: Ryan Cooney

Step It Up

Matus Holicek

I'm not particularly blaming him for his current struggles, but it's not clicking for him at the moment. 3 starts and a sub appearance in October yielded just one 90 minutes, 1 yellow and a FotMob average rating of 6.5, which isn't high. He just looks a bit lost as he's pushed around between several different positions.

Previous Winners:

August: Everyone

September: Shilow Tracey

Underrated Player

Filip Marschall

There were a few candidates, but I think the young keeper deserves his dues. He's conceded just 3 goals in 5 games in October and you can count on 1 hand the number of big mistakes he's made on one hand and you'll have several spare fingers.

Previous Winners:

August: Jamie Knight-Lebel

September: Zac Williams

Analysis

This month has been a bit of an odd one. On the surface, you'd look at the underlying numbers and not be that impressed. Out possessed in 4 of 5, outshot in 4 of 5, lost the xG from open play battle in 3 of 5. However, in every other way of measuring them, they've been good. Their results have been good of course, but it's the way they've gotten them and the important context behind them that needs addressing.

Firstly, they've been down Hemmings and Lankester(for 4 of 5), 2 of their bigger contributors in September. Second, Long has been out all month and Bogle has only been able to come off the bench. That's 4 attackers who would be in and around the team. So to score 8 goals in October and be on a 10 game scoring streak in the league is very impressive.

They've been getting contributions from all angles, with 7 players either scoring or providing an assist. Defensively they've been very strong, only letting in 3 goals in 5 games this month. Going to Doncaster and getting a draw. Going to Fleetwood and winning. 4 away points on top of 7 home points mean the Alex have had a great month.

Obviously we're still waiting and hoping for the injured players to return, but those that have played have showed remarkable resilience and fortitude to get the points they have. And I'll give the last word of praise to the management, who've got this team playing as a unit, performing greater than the sum of their parts and have them sitting pretty in 5th. A great month all things considered.

Looking Ahead

Yuck. 2nd, 3rd and 1st in the table in back to back to back games. This is a gauntlet of a month and a big marker for how high the ceiling of this group can be.

Optimistic Prediction: 1-1-1(Beat Notts County, take 1 point from the other 2)

Pessimistic Prediction: 0-0-3(Lose all 3)

Realistic(My) Prediction: 0-2-1(Draw with Notts County and Walsall, lose to Port Vale)

Now, I'll say that these are all L2 sides and since the Chesterfield game, nobody has looked far too good for the Alex. But these 3 in a row does give me pause. If they can emerge from this month with only 1 defeat(and hopefully 2 rounds of FA Cup progress), then I think I'd happily take it.

Previous Predictions:

August: 1-2-1(Actual: 1-1-2)

September: 2-1-1(3-0-1)

October: 2-1-2(Actual: 3-2-0)

Final Word

We're entering a tough stretch in their fixture list. Thankfully there are no midweek distractions, so they can go into each game fresh and ready to put on their best effort. You feel that they'll need Lankester, Long and maybe even Powell back to get results in the coming weeks. This is a big test of how high they can aim. Let's see how they get on.