This Is Cheshire

This defeat could have been even heavier

From the Guardian Series, first published Thursday 10th Mar 2005.

Crewe..1 Wolves..4

CREWE look set for the perennial relegation battle after a 4-1 embarrassment at the hands of Wolves.

And any more displays like this one will probably see them lose it with Glenn Hoddle's fellow strugglers making light work of it at the Alexandra Stadium, last Saturday.

Arguably the worst home result since humiliation against Coventry two seasons back, that ended up pivotal to their plight a couple of years ago.

For a while this also had five or six written all over it; Crewe were that bad at the back.

It's been a well-documented problem season long but now the goals at the other end are no longer there to save them with Ashton gone and Steve Jones not even half the player he was.

Admittedly they were forced to cope with several absentees but it was still dire stuff all across the park.

Yet Crewe still had plenty of opportunities to turn their fortunes around, particularly just before the break.

And hopes were high when Kenny Lunt handed them an 11th minute lead from the spot.

Back in the side for the suspended Steve Foster, Adie Moses whipped the skipper's corner back in and Carl Cort's blatant handball in the box was punished appropriately.

But the former Newcastle striker made quick amends, tapping in a neat cross from South Korean international Ki-Hyeon Seol just four minutes later.

After blowing their lead, demoralised Crewe were under the cosh for large spells but finally fell behind in dubious circumstances.

Paul Ince appeared to go down far too easily under Neil Sorvel's challenge but unsurprisingly the referee evened up the score with Kenny Miller tucking away the resulting penalty.

Lunt saw a deflected free-kick drift just past the post while Steve Jones had decent claims for a second penalty as Crewe fought back.

But when Rivers fluffed a real sitter from close range, a bad day loomed.

Cort confirmed it by bagging his second with a simple finish from Lee Naylor's cross in first-half stoppage time.

Mike Higdon was thrown on for Andy White after the break as Dario Gradi's search for a winning formula continued.

And despite chances at both ends, Ben Williams' nightmare recall continued on the hour with yet more school-boy defending punished by Miller on the hour.

With recent addition Colin Murdock sat on the bench, things could have got even worse for Crewe's re-vamped central defensive pairing of Moses and Chris McCready.

Seol could have made it five but sent a poor header wide of the mark as the game and home supporters drifted away.

It's trouble again, no doubt about it.

Crewe: Williams, Moss (Murdock 88), Tonkin, McCready, Moses, Lunt, Sorvel, Vaughan, Rivers (Platt 76), S Jones, White (Higdon 46).

Subs not used: Tomlinson, G Roberts.

Attendance - 8,212

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