Fleetwood Town 0-1 Crewe Alex 24/25 Review - Make me Sway

I think like everyone, I feared the worst at 6:45 when the team sheet came out and there was no Mickey Demetriou on it. He missed his first league game since joining the club and you did wonder how the team would cope in his absence. Well, it turned out they coped pretty well. Despite the lack of age and experience, they put up a strong fight and in the end emerged with a deserved 3 points from their trip to the seaside. Here is my take on the game:

Young

Someone worked out that the Alex's starting XI in this game carried an average age of 21.5. The elder statesmen of the group were Shilow Tracey(26), Max Sanders(25) and Ryan Cooney(24). They were missing a huge chunk of experience in Long, Powell, Demetriou, Lankester and Hemmings, with Bogle and Thomas only fit enough for the bench. Yet the young group rallied and pulled through against a decent Fleetwood side that moved the ball well and created plenty of chances in the first half.

If/when they get some more of the injured players back, who knows how high the ceiling could be.

Defence

It was backs to the wall stuff for a decent chunk of the game, especially in the first half where Fleetwood carved the Alex open on a few occasions. But given they've scored the 7th most goals in the division, the Alex's backline, minus their leader and captain, kept them at bay. Marschall came up big with 2-3 big stops and the back 3 all battled well to keep Graydon and Coughlan quiet. This was another hard earned clean sheet, but they more than deserved it.

Grew Into It

The first half wasn't pretty. But in the 2nd half, I honestly think they got better and better. Fleetwood ran out of ideas and resorted to lumping it forward or just chucking in crosses. The Alex on the other hand brought on Bogle and Lunt and both had really strong impacts.

Lunt was everywhere in midfield, being brave in possession, whilst Bogle gave them that desperately needed target from crosses and a focal point to build around. It was Lunt's strong run which forced the penalty as well. It says a lot about the depth of this squad that they can be down anywhere between 5-7 players and they still have options on the bench to bring on and make a difference.

Match Winner

Ryan Cooney's redemption arc continues. He was rock solid in this game and then showed nerves to steel to take the ball of Omar Bogle(who wasn't happy about it) for the decisive penalty. He then, right in front of the Crewe fans, calmly stepped up and sent Harrington the wrong way to cap off a fantastic few days for him. He eptomises the culture and team spirit Bell has built(and rebuilt) at the moment and I think I speak for the whole fan base when I say we're delighted for him.

Atmosphere

And finally I'll finish with this. The Alex's atmosphere in this game was unreal. The Alex don't have a huge fan base. Nor are we rabid animals like the Leeds', Millwall's and West Ham's of the world. But over the last few years, there has been a noticeable uptick in the atmosphere at games, both home and away. All evening long the lads banged the drum and sang their hearts out, mostly sticking with the catchy remix of "Make me Sway". The atmosphere enhanced what at times was a tough watch and it made the win all the more sweet. I can't wait to do it all again at Walsall in a few weeks.

Ref Assessment

He might have soothed some fans ire by giving the Alex a penalty, but Stockbridge was atrocious once again. He set the tone by missing a throw in in the first minute and it didn't improve from there. His failure to award a penalty for a clear tug on Bogle was baffling, as were a few other decisions. God he sucks as a ref.

Management Assessment

They're doing a fantastic job, no doubt. Getting a tune out of a depleted group speaks volumes about their abilities as coaches and a management group. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is my frustration that they can't seem to get more out of the midfield, but Bell acknowledged this in his post match interview, which is reassuring.

Player Assessments

Filip Marschall MOTM

He was awarded the MOTM on FotMob and honestly, I think that's fair. He made 2 big stops in the first half, the 2nd a great save from a dipping Patterson effort which seemed destined for the top corner. Another excellent game.

James Connolly

He doesn't seem too comfortable in possession, but he did all his defensive duties well and maybe could feel aggrieved at not being given a spot kick in the 2nd half.

Jamie Knight-Lebel

We need to start coming to terms with the fact he might be off in January. He looks so calm and composed and he almost never makes a mistake, which is so rare from a 19 year old making just his 11th league start.

Zac Williams

He's really starting to mature, which is great to see. His defensive work still needs improvement, but he marshalled the back line in Demetriou's absence and he justified the decision to give him the armband before kick off.

Ryan Cooney

Some of his decision making and execution wasn't perfect, but as I mentioned above, he showed big stones to step up and take the penalty.

Joel Tabiner

Perhaps he was still carrying the pain of the turned ankle he sustained on Friday, but I worry about him in central midfield, as seems to struggle to get involved in things. Still, he worked hard and put in a real shift before coming off, but him being on the 4 yellow card tightrope for another 6-7 games is a concern.

Max Sanders

He does show for the ball at times and he gets involved more than his midfield partners, but he does frustrate you on occasion. He leaves you wanting more.

Matus Holicek

He was lucky to stay on for as long as he did. As with Tabiner, I worry that he'll never truly flourish in a team that doesn't control possession.

Max Conway

Ran himself into the ground back at LWB, which is where I think he should play all the time. Gave the Alex a constant outlet and he was instrumental in some of the late pressure they put Fleetwood under.

Shilow Tracey

More of the same from him. Stretched Fleetwood's defence, but couldn't find any meaningful end product. Again, not a bad display, but not much good to mention either.

Adrien Thibaut

Put himself about nicely and came close to scoring in the first half. I don't think he needed to come off when he did, but overall I thought he was decent on his full EFL debut.

Subs:

Owen Lunt

I'm really starting to like him coming off the bench. He was outstanding when he came on, picking up the ball and looking to make things happen. And as mentioned, he won the Alex the game winning penalty. I'm excited to see how he builds on the last few appearances.

Omar Bogle

Like Lunt, he made a big difference when he came on. I hope he can now stay fit and keep pushing for more game time and eventually some starts. The only concern was how unhappy he looked when being told to give up the penalty. We know he's had attitude issues in the past, so Bell is going to have to manage him very carefully.

Conor Thomas

Came on and didn't have much chance to do anything. Only had 8 touches, which confirms the eye test.

Kian Breckin

A late sub, he also had little chance to get involved.

Overall Verdict

This is a great 3 points as they ended one of the 4 remaining unbeaten home records in the division. With hopefully more players returning in the coming weeks and the team's ability to grind out results when depleted and not at their very best, the next few weeks are going to be fun to watch.