Crewe v County: Match Thread (24/10/2023)
Oct 22, 2023 13:12:43 GMT
gazz, dudleyhatter, and 2 more like this
Post by autistichatter on Oct 22, 2023 13:12:43 GMT
Well now this is a Big Game even this early in the season. So what can we tell about Crewe?
Well, their record of P 14 W 7 D 5 L 2 F 34 A 23 which suggests a good degree of Goal Power (they are the top scorers in L2) but some weakness at the back - only 19th placed Newport County (29), 23rd placed Cole U (27) and 24th placed Sutton (33) have conceded more goals. Looked at a different way they lose or draw as often as they win which is not a recipe for sustained success unless they tighten up at the back.
The Ws were Newport County (h) 4-2, MKD (h) 3-1, Forest Green (a) 1-4, Cole U (h) 2-1, Gillingham (h) 2-0 - a first clean sheet on 3rd Oct, after 11 games!, Tranmere (h) 2-0 and Crawley (a) 2-4. The Ds were Mansfield (h) 2-2 on opening day, Swindon (a) 2-2, Walsall (h) 2-2, Wimbledon (a) 2-2 and Wrecktum (a) 3-3. The Ls were Bratfut (a) 1-0 and Salford (a) 4-2.
So all in all only 2 clean sheets (albeit against the League's lowest scorers Gillingham (13) and Tranmere (18), and just look at all those 2-2 draws, and then a 3-3. They've also conceded a further 5 goals in 4 Cup games so they are as leaky as anything at the back. Not too many top teams in those fixtures either, so could gravity reassert itself?
Their Goal power is impressive though. Top scorer is experienced forward Chris Long with 7 this term, (20 goals in 50 apps in all for Alex), then 6ft 2 forward Courtney Baker-Richardson with 5 (13 in 39 apps in all) and veteran defender 6ft 2 Mickey Demetriou also on 5 (26 in 258 apps for previous club Newport). Elliott Nevitt has 4 (11goals in 62 apps for Tranmere before signing for Alex) and defender Rio Adebisi has 2. There are a further 7 players have each bagged one.
The squad has seen a fair bit of turnover, 6FT 3 GK Harvey Davies (13 apps this term for Alex) signed on season-long loan from Liverpool, (wot, not Jaros?), he was followed by RB Ryan Cooney (8 apps this term) signed from Morecambe, then forward Shilow Tracey came over from Cambridge (1 goal in 8 apps this term for Alex). MF Jack Powell (1 goal in 4 apps this term) came over from Crawley and then D Mickey Demetriou (5 goals in 13 apps this term) was the big name signing and he's had immediate impact as a goal scorer (see above). They were joined by Huddersfield Winger Aaron Rowe (remember him?) on season long loan and then Newcastle MF Joe White on loan until Jan 14th.
All in all they look a very different team from last term (W 14 D 16 L 16 F 48 A 60) but still fragile at the back. County clearly have enough potential goal power to at least match Crewe and County's D is far better than Alex's, although after the lapses against Grimsby it's hard to see County keeping a clean sheet. So I'm thinking score draw or maybe a County win - which clearly suggests a God-awful 0-0 or a defeat....
OH, who am I kidding? I'm just going to be fingers crossed...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in L2:
8th placed AFC Wombles v 7th placed Accy Stanley
14th placed Harrogate v 6th placed Mansfield
2nd placed Notts County v 19th placed Newport
5th placed Swindon v 9th placed Gillingham
4th placed Wrecktum v Rock Bottom Sutton.
Well, their record of P 14 W 7 D 5 L 2 F 34 A 23 which suggests a good degree of Goal Power (they are the top scorers in L2) but some weakness at the back - only 19th placed Newport County (29), 23rd placed Cole U (27) and 24th placed Sutton (33) have conceded more goals. Looked at a different way they lose or draw as often as they win which is not a recipe for sustained success unless they tighten up at the back.
The Ws were Newport County (h) 4-2, MKD (h) 3-1, Forest Green (a) 1-4, Cole U (h) 2-1, Gillingham (h) 2-0 - a first clean sheet on 3rd Oct, after 11 games!, Tranmere (h) 2-0 and Crawley (a) 2-4. The Ds were Mansfield (h) 2-2 on opening day, Swindon (a) 2-2, Walsall (h) 2-2, Wimbledon (a) 2-2 and Wrecktum (a) 3-3. The Ls were Bratfut (a) 1-0 and Salford (a) 4-2.
So all in all only 2 clean sheets (albeit against the League's lowest scorers Gillingham (13) and Tranmere (18), and just look at all those 2-2 draws, and then a 3-3. They've also conceded a further 5 goals in 4 Cup games so they are as leaky as anything at the back. Not too many top teams in those fixtures either, so could gravity reassert itself?
Their Goal power is impressive though. Top scorer is experienced forward Chris Long with 7 this term, (20 goals in 50 apps in all for Alex), then 6ft 2 forward Courtney Baker-Richardson with 5 (13 in 39 apps in all) and veteran defender 6ft 2 Mickey Demetriou also on 5 (26 in 258 apps for previous club Newport). Elliott Nevitt has 4 (11goals in 62 apps for Tranmere before signing for Alex) and defender Rio Adebisi has 2. There are a further 7 players have each bagged one.
The squad has seen a fair bit of turnover, 6FT 3 GK Harvey Davies (13 apps this term for Alex) signed on season-long loan from Liverpool, (wot, not Jaros?), he was followed by RB Ryan Cooney (8 apps this term) signed from Morecambe, then forward Shilow Tracey came over from Cambridge (1 goal in 8 apps this term for Alex). MF Jack Powell (1 goal in 4 apps this term) came over from Crawley and then D Mickey Demetriou (5 goals in 13 apps this term) was the big name signing and he's had immediate impact as a goal scorer (see above). They were joined by Huddersfield Winger Aaron Rowe (remember him?) on season long loan and then Newcastle MF Joe White on loan until Jan 14th.
All in all they look a very different team from last term (W 14 D 16 L 16 F 48 A 60) but still fragile at the back. County clearly have enough potential goal power to at least match Crewe and County's D is far better than Alex's, although after the lapses against Grimsby it's hard to see County keeping a clean sheet. So I'm thinking score draw or maybe a County win - which clearly suggests a God-awful 0-0 or a defeat....
OH, who am I kidding? I'm just going to be fingers crossed...
Meanwhile, elsewhere in L2:
8th placed AFC Wombles v 7th placed Accy Stanley
14th placed Harrogate v 6th placed Mansfield
2nd placed Notts County v 19th placed Newport
5th placed Swindon v 9th placed Gillingham
4th placed Wrecktum v Rock Bottom Sutton.
