Crewe Alex 25/26 Monthly Review - March

The Alex had an excellent February and it put them right in the mix for a top 7 spot. But unfortunately, March was more difficult for them and it's put their promotion bid into a position where it's touch and go as to whether they'll make the play-offs. And so it goes in this rollercoaster season for them. This is my review of their penultimate full month of the 25-26 season:

Looking Back

The Alex were looking for a good start to March as they headed south to Bristol Rovers. They enjoyed a solid opening half and got themselves in front thanks to Alfie Pond bundling in from close range. For some reason though, they fell apart after half time and eventually succumbed to a late collapse, as 2 goals from Tommy Leigh sent them to a very poor defeat.

Back at home against a Walsall side that only days before had sacked Mat Sadler, hopes were high for a bounce back. Instead, they got hammered. An early Albert Adomah goal set the Saddlers on their way and they wrapped up the points thanks to another goal from Adomah and one from Aaron Pressley. In truth, Walsall should and could have had more than the 3 they did score, whilst the Alex were lucky to end with 0.

Things did improve somewhat away at Cheltenham a few days later. A fairly non-event first half was livened up in the 2nd by Jake Bickerstaff working some space and firing home. The Robins should have made things safe but missed several chances before the Alex finally woke up and stole an equaliser through James Connolly, who bagged his 3rd of the season. A point wasn't much to celebrate, but it snapped their 2 game losing steak.

On the road they went again, this time the short hop south west to face Shrewsbury. The Alex went from their worst the week prior to their best this time, as 2 early goals from own goal and Josh March had them in control. 2 more finishes from March and Emre Tezgel gave the Alex a fantastic 4-0 win to enjoy in the Shropshire sunshine.

They ended the month with a very tough home game against bang in form Oldham. The form book looked to be playing out as Kane Drummond fired the Latics into a lead inside 30 minutes. But a Reece Hutchinson wonder strike dragged the Alex back level 4 minutes later and the 2 sides continued to trade good chances as they looked for a winner. It looked like a draw was on the cards until Matus Holicek fired in in the 91st minute to send the Alex fans into raptures.

It also meant the ended the month in the top 7 and finished with a 2-1-2. Not brilliant, but not terrible either.

U21s

The U21s are a step closer to knowing who their opponent in the Cheshire Senior Cup will be, as it's now between Runcorn Town and Vauxhall Motors for the other place in the final. That semi-final will take place on the 8th April, so we'll know fairly soon who the other finalist will be.

In the league, they had easily their best month of the season, going 2-1-3. That shows how low the bar has been so far, but still, a couple of wins is nice. Those wins were against Bristol City and Colchester, with the defeats coming against Wigan, Barnsley and Bournemouth.

They still have 3 games in hand left to play against Coventry(A), Barnsley(H) and Sheffield Wednesday(A), plus their final regularly scheduled game against QPR(H). So, a few games left before their league season comes to an end.

U18s

This group had a mixed month in the league. A defeat at home to Fleetwood(with a number of them likely called away to play the day before for the U21s I might add) was a bad way to start, but 2 away draws at Watford and Hull solidified things before they hammered Sheff Wed 4-0 at home on Saturday. They probably won't make the play-offs, but they've had a good campaign and it can still end well, with 3 league games left to play.

Injuries

The Alex welcomed back several players, but they Owen Lunt was ruled out for the rest of the season. Conor Thomas picked up his 5th separate injury issue of the season. Mickey Demetriou is out after having stitches in his heel and Jack Lankester's withdrawl at half time on Saturday potentially points to an issue with him.

Player	Injury	Possible Return Date
Conor ThomasCM)	Muscle	Early April 2026
Mickey Demetriou(CB)	Heel	Early April 2026
Jack Lankester(RW)	???	???
Owen Lunt(CM)	Back	April 2026
Joel Tabiner(RW/CM)	ACL	Summer 2026

Loans

Zac Williams hasn't even made the bench for Kilmarnock since the end of February. I'm not sure if that's injury related or both sides cutting their losses. There are bad career moves and then there are the season Williams has had with Killie. A total and utter disaster and I'm sorry, I have no sympathy given how he forced his way last summer.

Fin Roberts & Phil Croker continue to get a decent amount of game time with Chester, but their season is likely to end short of promotion.

Jordan Hodkin played a number of times for Bamber Bridge, but is yet to find the net for the Brig since joining.

Player of the Month

Max Sanders

It's funny, because I don't think any player has had a truly standout month in March. The majority have been mixed. In the end, I'll go with Max. In the 2 games he didn't start in March, the Alex went 0-0-2. In the 3 games he did start, they went 2-1-0. Ok, it's not that simple, but his return and his return to form has been a god send to them in the last few weeks.

Previous Picks:

August: Josh March

September: Max Sanders

October: Max Sanders

November: Emre Tezgel

December: Max Sanders

January: Calum Agius

February: Ian Lawlor

Step It Up

Tommi O'Reilly

I'd originally had this down as Reece Hutchinson, but after his wonder goal on Saturday, I can't name him. Instead, I'll go with O'Reilly. I know he is kicked from pillar to post and everything good the Alex do comes through him. But the fact is, he went without a goal or assist in March and has just 1 goal and 2 assists in his last 14 games. He's still had a great season, but they need one final effort from him.

Previous Picks:

August: Emre Tezgel

September: Tom Booth

October: Calum Agius

November: The depth

December: James Connolly

January: Matus Holicek

February: Calum Agius

Underrated Player

Josh March

Like with Demetriou, I don't really think he's been underrated, but he's been the one consistent striker they've had pretty much all season. He's put in a ton of workrate and his 3 goal contributions at Shrewsbury were well received.

Previous Picks:

August: Max Sanders

September: Conor Thomas

October: Tommi O'Reilly

November: Owen Lunt

December: Lewis Billington

January: Reece Hutchinson

February: Mickey Demetriou

Analysis

The very best and the very worst of the Alex under Lee Bell was evident in March. A good battling first half at Bristol Rovers followed by a shocking collapse. A dreadful home defeat to Walsall. A relatively solid if slightly fortunate point at Cheltenham. An outstanding win at Shrewsbury following by a battling win over Oldham.

It probably encapsulates their season and shows exactly why they have sniffed around the top 7 without ever looking likely to get in there and secure a spot. The style has been mixed, as it has all season. Some excellent play, some great goals, but some utterly baffling football, managerial calls and moments. The only thing the Alex have been consistent at this season is being inconsistent.

Knowing them, they'll go and lose at Accrington before beating Salford. It's just what they do.

Looking Ahead

My Previous Predictions:

August: 2-2-2(Actual: 4-0-2)

September: 1-2-1(Actual: 1-1-2)

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

November: 1-1-2(Actual: 1-2-1)

December: 2-1-2(Actual: 1-2-2) January: 3-2-2(Actual 3-2-1)

February: 2-2-2(Actual 4-1-1)

March: 1-3-1(Actual: 2-1-2)

I was right to predict a defeat at Bristol Rovers, but the others I couldn't pin down. In the end, they finished with more wins and points than I thought, only by 1 though.

April/May Predictions:

Optimistic Prediction: 3-1-2(Take 10 points from Cambridge, Accy, Salford and Grimsby, lose to MK and Chesterfield)

Pessimistic Prediction: 1-1-4(Beat Accy, draw with Cambridge, lose to the other 4)

Realistic(My) Prediction: 2-1-3(Beat Accy, draw with Grimsby and Cambridge, lose the other 3)

Final Word

Here we go then. 6 games, 4 1/2 weeks. Accy, then 5 promotion chasers. If they do end up making the top 7, they'll have more than earned it that's for sure. If they don't, then we'll have a postmortem to see what went wrong and why they came up short. One thing is for certain, it's going to a enjoyable/stressful few weeks. Bring it on.