Yet another afternoon at Plainmoor that saw another late heartbreaking goal that hurt as much as all the other late goals that have lost us so many points. You knew the goal was coming but that did not stop it hurting and it came because we let Crewe have the second half and stopped doing all the good things that had made us the better team in the first half.
It was good to see someone listened and that rope had not been put up to stop fans standing to close to Paul Buckle in the dugout and I was pleased he looked at me and thanked me as he went past by giving him the welcome onto the pitch a manager deserves.
Just before the start of the game we had three solders come onto the pitch as there was a collection at half time for Help For The Heroes, they rightly received a great welcome and I felt very proud and wished we were not in a pointless war where brave young men are dying each day.
I had a good long chat with Aussie when I got to the ground and explained everything to him and he was in a good happy mood as our groundsman was not there today and Aussie had been promoted for the day to Chief groundsman.
I was really pleased with our first half display, we worked so hard and got stuck in all over the pitch and I ended up thinking during the half that at last we are starting to look a more balanced side and one where all the players know each other.
To the Benyon knockers I say this; today he was our best player, worked his socks off and not once sat on his ass feeling sorry for himself. He won the ball so many times against two much larger defenders when he always looked second best to get the ball, all that was missing was a goal from him that would have been so deserved.
From the first whistle it was clear to see the ref was going to be one of those that blew for really soft free kicks and miss the real ones and the game was just seconds old when Rowe Turner hacked the winger down and I thought that’s a great start Rowe Turner, but to be fair to him while he was not brilliant by any means, he did make a few very important tackles later in the game, but was also beaten a few times with too much ease..
From the free kick Robertson got a good head on the ball to clear it out of our box and then a few seconds later Crewe were given another very soft free kick just outside the box Branston being the offender. Crewes free kick routine was just to fancy for its own good and came to nothing.
On eight minutes Rendell found himself in acres of space but choose to hit the ball first time when he could have taken a touch and taken the ball closer to goal, his shot ended up well wide of the goal.
Four minutes later and Rowe Turner gave away another unnecessary free kick that result in us having to defend two corners and thankfully our defence with the help of Rendell winning headers in our box prevented Crewe from getting anything from them.
Benyon was making some really great runs in behind the Crewe defence and he got on the end of one long ball and played the ball back to Carlisle, he sent in a great ball to Wroe who had is shot blocked, the ball came back to him but would not sit down for him to get away a second shot.
We came close to taking the lead on 16 minutes, we won a corner and Rendell rose in the box and got his header on target and it beat the keeper but was kicked off the line by a Crewe defender.
We had a scare four minutes later when the ball was on the edge of our box and Ellis and Branston were close together and decided to let the ball run into the box for Bevan to collect, only they did not see the Crewe player to their right steaming into the box to try and get onto the ball, thankfully Bevan just got there first.
Carlisle then found himself in plenty of space in the middle of the Crewe half of the field, he took the ball on a bit and hit a powerful shot with the outside of his right foot, but it was always bending wide of the post, but it was a good effort.
Crewe then won another free kick just out side our box, it was fired at our goal with real power and it looked from where I was standing that it went very close to our left hand post with Bevan standing in the middle of the goal.
Up the other end and once again Benyon did so well to hold of his man and feed the ball back to Carlisle who sent in a cross that Rendell headed just over the crossbar. Wroe was having a poor game again, failing to take the ball down when he had the time to do so and just giving it away to cheaply and we were in their half when the ball from Wroe to Zebs should have been a simple one, only Wroe gave Zebs no chance to get onto the ball with the pass and a few quick pass’s by Crewe and the ball was in our box as we struggled to get back to defend. The shot from the Crewe player was thankfully very poor and Bevan saved it with ease, but through losing the ball when it was easier to keep hold of it, we nearly paid the price.
Benyon made a good chance for himself on the half hour mark, he very cleverly made the space to get a shot away that was goal bound, but it got blocked and was cleared out of their area.
We had a good shout for a penalty five minutes later, Benyon once again on the halfway line close to the dugout did so well to get the ball down and under control he played a good pass but we somehow lost the ball only to see it come to Robertson who was only looking to put his boot through the ball. The ball went up to the edge of the Crewe box and Benyon once again looked second best to get on the ball, but he did and the Crewe defender had his arms all over Benyons shoulders wrestled him to the ground, I have seen them given.
Then on 40 minutes we took a well deserved lead, Zebs was out wide just inside our half and starting moving into the Crewe half of the pitch, he looked in two minds what to do and just when I thought he was going to stop and lay the ball back or maybe play it inside, he put his head down and went on a wonderful run. As he got near the byline he had two players on him, but he used his pace and sent the ball in low and hard for Rendell to fire home into the far right hand corner.
Just after that saw us play some great neat controlled passing involving Zebs, Rendell and Carlisle on the right hand side of the Crewe box, Rendell than played the ball toward Wroe on the edge of the Crew box who would have had the time to bring the ball down and shoot, only he went for a spectacular volley and mucked it up completely.
So the end of a very good first half and all we had to do you thought was come out and give the same display in the second half and we did make a few good chances to extend our lead but failed to take them.
Benyon was chasing every long ball being played and kept forcing the Crewe defenders to clear the ball into touch, from one long Robertson throw in the ball came to Mansell inside the box but he blasted the ball well over the cross bar. Bevan got a bit lucky after Rowe Turner hit the ball to no one and a long high ball was sent toward our box, Bevan rushed just outside our box to try and clear the ball, but it was somehow flicked passed him and thankfully went wide of the empty and unguarded
net.
Crewe were now firmly in control and well on top, we just could not do the simple things and clear the ball away from danger and when we did it was cleared to no one and kept coming back at us. Benyon was still doing his best and he held off twp Crewe defenders in their box and picked out Zebs with a great pass. Who took the ball on a few yards and hit a shot that was deflected for a corner. From the corner Robertson had a goal bound header cleared out for another corner.
Ellis then got suckered into conceding a penalty, you could see he was going to do it, he should have just stood up and not try to win the ball as he did, but we got another large slice of luck at home as the ball from the spot was blasted well over our bar.
Would this be the event that would wake our boys back up again and start playing as they did in the first half? NO sadly it was not and Mansell had two chances to clear the ball away and failed to do so and as a result the ball was in our box and Crewe went and scored and as I said at the start, that goal really hurt.
Muzzy on for man of the match Benyon and Zebs went up front, but was playing far to deep and not on the shoulders of the last man as Benyon had done, Muzzy never really got the ball that much and Crewe nearly snatched all three points right at the end as a shot only just went pass the post with Bevan rooted in the middle of the goal mouth.
I suppose we would have been happy to be offered a point at the start of the match, but it is so frustrating to have to keep leaving Plainmoor feeling we did not win yet another game that we could have. Can’t fault our players hard work and effort and it is a point and anther game closer to staying up.
Well. listening to that game sort of sums up the difference for me between a proper league manager and our tyre kicker. Gradi knew what to do and Buckle didn't have a clue how to see the game out to a win. OK i realise Gradi has been around for 30 years and Buckle 2 mins. But really, that has shown the gulf in class and how bereft of ideas and 1 dimensional Buckle is.
..................and that the RESULT had nothing to do with the brilliant run by an Alex player that took him past FOUR opponents before he BACK HEELED the ball into the path of the player who scored the EQUALISER DtG? The equaliser which seemes to indicate to me that the two managers finished all square! 
- his money would have been better spent on getting another striker in. 
