NEXT HOME GAME - TBC
NEXT AWAY GAME - SUPPORTERS XI ARE PLAYING WORCESTER AT MALVERN ON SUNDAY AUGUST 3rd AT 3.00pm

Friday, March 25, 2011

Crewe Target Promotion

Crewe chairman John Bowler says that promotion is the club's 'immediate and highest priority' ahead of their trip to Edgar Street.

The Railwaymen sit five points short of the play-offs with just eight games remaining, with Bowler warning that a return to League One is a must for the club as they can no longer rely on transfer fees to prop up the club finances: "If you're going through a recessionary time, perhaps there's not as much money available as there used to be for transfer fees."

The Railwaymen will be without AJ Leitch-Smith and Rhys Taylor for Sunday's game. Striker Leitch-Smith aggrivated a hamstring injury during a midweek training match, while Chelsea loanee Taylor is on international duty with the Welsh u21 side.

Taylor's absence will mean a recall for Steve Phillips. The Bath-born keeper ended 13 years playing for the two Bristol clubs when signing for the Railwaymen last summer but has made just two appearances all season. He expects to leave Gresty Road in the summer, and is likely to use Sunday's game to showcase his talents to earn a deal next season.

The Railwaymen are also expected to field veteran defender Ashley Westwood on Sunday after he started his first League match in three years against Accrington on Tuesday. The 34 year old, who was released as part of a cost-cutting measure at Kettering, told The Sentinel that the club had to start stringing wins together with a target of six wins out of their remaining eight games:

"We're on 52 points now, and if 70 is the benchmark (for play-offs) then we've obviously got to be winning games quickly. We've got to string three or four wins together and go from there."