Crewe Alex v Notts County 25/26 Preview - Now or Never

Some teams are synonymous with awful football. Gillingham, Stevenage, Northampton. It seems like no matter who their managers are, they are always difficult to watch. But then there are teams who always seem to try and play football on the deck. Swansea, MK Dons(this season aside) etc.

Well, Notts County in the last 3-4 years fall into that category. From Luke Williams to Stuart Maynard and now Martin Paterson, they are very much entrenched in their desire to be a pass first team. It'll be curious if they play this way when they visit Gresty Road for this game. Here is my preview of the match up:

Now or Never

We are approaching the now or never moment for Bell. The fan dissent was noticeable against Barnet and only 389 fans were there to criticise the defeat at Barrow. But lose in this game in front of 4,500 increasingly fed up home fans and the mood will turn toxic, of that I am very confident. If he can't find a positive result here, either a creditable draw with a good performance, or a win of any kind, then the boos and maybe even some chants for him to lose his job will reverberate around Gresty Road at full time.

Lunchtime

I mentioned this in the game against Swindon and unfortunately it's only become more relevant. The Alex's issues with lunchtime kick offs are becoming chronic. As a reminder, they are now 1-5-2 in 8 of their 12:30pm kick offs since the start of last season. It's becoming a real issue and the management need to find a way to rectify this. Amongst many other things they should be concerned about.

Nonsense

In the last 2 seasons, there has been a fair amount of nonsense in this fixture. 2 seasons ago, the Alex got a 98th minute penalty from a handball. County fans then proceeded to throw things at the linesman. Then last season, after Shilow Tracey's full pitch sprint to score, Omar Bogle fell to the floor and got another penalty County fans rioted about. It would be extremely funny should the Alex get a penalty for the 3rd season running. County fans' heads might just explode if they do.

Favourable

The Alex endured a horrendous run of form against the Magpies from 2002 through to 2018. 1 win, 4 draws and 10 defeats saw Notts take the points more often than not. But since County returned to League Two 2 seasons ago, the Alex have dominated the match ups. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and only conceded 1, which was a late consolation in the their 3-1 at Meadow Lane in 23-24.

In fact, the Alex's impressive run against Notts County at Gresty Road stretches back to 2017. The Magpies have failed to earn a point or score in any of their last 4 visits. That concerns me as the law of averages says they are due one soon you feel. But for now, we can hope, however forlornly, that this good run continues.

Ref Watch

Paul Tierney

Huh? Premier League referee Paul Tierney? What's he doing in League Two? Why did he miss the entire 24-25 season? An injury? Taking a break from the game? Why has he dropped back into the EFL? Very confusing.

What isn't confusing is the Alex's record in games he's officiated. It's horrendous. Here's hoping it improves.

2025-26 Record: 1 game(1 League Two), 3 yellows

Last Game: Cheltenham Town 0-3 Oldham Athletic, 20th September 2025, 3 yellows

Crewe Alex Record: 1-1-7, 8 yellows

Injuries/Absences

Crewe Alex

There doesn't appear to be any change on the injury front, with only Tabiner and Tracey sidelined.

Notts County

County last week were missing Kellan Gordon, Matty Platt, Jake Hinchy, Mai Traore, Lucas Ness and Matthew Dennis, although only 2-3 of those names would be a blow should they be absent from this game.

Team

What do you even do? Bell has options, but there aren't many who are commanding a starting spot right now. You could make anywhere between 5-10 changes and I don't think anyone would disagree. For me, you have to make some big calls to see if that shakes things up. Because what else is left?

Waller comes in for a start in goal after another mistake from Booth last week. Sorry, but it's time.

Again, whilst Golding has been poor off the bench, I'd start him over Connolly. And after not making the squad last week, Jay Mingi comes in at RB. At LB, they will be forced into a change as Reece Hutchinson is suspended, so Charlie Finney will surely come in for his first start. This is a huge chance for him, he has to take it.

In midfield, Thomas was back on the bench last week, so he returns to the XI this week alongside Sanders. Let's see if his influence is as great as fans make out.

As for the front 4, March goes back up top. Holicek goes back in behind, O'Reilly stays on the right hand side and Rankine comes in for Agius on the left wing. The bench would be: Booth, Billington, Tezgel, Moult, Agius, Lankester and then one of Powell or Connolly for balance.

Score Prediction

What little confidence I had in them has now all but gone. Maybe that's what is needed for them to bounce back and actually get a win. But for now, I don't see anything other than another home defeat, which could well be Bell's last as manager.

Crewe Alexandra 0-2 Notts County