Crewe Alexandra - Alexandra Stadium

8th May 2005

Crewe Alexandra 2-1 Coventry City

It was the last day of the 2004/5 English Football League season, so I scoured the fixtures looking for a match which really mattered; one where a presently unresolved promotion or relegation issue would be clarified.  And one which stood out was this encounter between Crewe Alexandra and Coventry City.  Coventry were safe in mid table, but Crewe had begun a free-fall the previous January, following the sale of leading scorer Dean Ashton to Norwich City. 

The club had, quite remarkably, failed to win a single one of their 19 matches since his transfer and, following a 5-1 humping at Ipswich the previous week, had fallen into the relegation slots for the first time that season.  So basically, Crewe had to win and hope Gillingham – sitting two points above them - did not.  Overhauling Brighton was also arithmetically possible, but was a considerably longer shot.

It then struck me I knew absolutely nothing about the town of Crewe.  I had some vague recollection that there was some important railway connection, so guessed it may be in the Midlands somewhere.  Also, Tom Robinson’s (fictional) brother Martin hitched there from Clapham each week, so it couldn’t be too far from London, I reasoned.  But no, there it lay, not too far south of Manchester, and well within reach.

Arriving rather closer to the kick-off time than I had anticipated, I found I had a lengthy trek to the ground from the available car parking.  Presenting myself at the ticket office, I endured the following conversation with a rather officious girl manning one of the counters:

Self – A ticket for the main stand, please.

Girl – Have you registered?

Self – No, I did not realise I had to.  Can I do it now?

Girl – Sorry, no.  The deadline for registering expired 24 hours ago.

Self – Oh right.  Is the game sold out then?

Girl - No, but we decided in order to stop Coventry City fans getting in to the home area, to make all non season ticket holding home fans register with the club 24 hours prior to the game.

Self – Well, very clearly from my accent I do not come from Coventry.  How do I go about getting a ticket.

Girl – (with just a hint of a smirk) Sorry, you can’t.

Self – (putting on best puppy-dog expression) I have just driven three hours down the road from Scotland, you are surely not going to send me back up the road, denying me entry to a game which is not sold out.

Girl – (trying to hide growing smirk) I am sorry, but we have to protect the families who are attending this game.

Self – I am an overweight, balding, middle-aged male with angina and diabetes here on my own.  Exactly what threat do you feel I pose to the families of This Good Town?

Well, I didn’t really say that last bit, as I think by that time I realised I was dealing with the Monkey, and not the Organ Grinder.  But quite how setting a 24 hour deadline for registering for tickets would dissuade any organised Coventry supporter getting in to the ground baffled me.  It just seemed lazy management.

Anyway, all I did was wander out into the car park and, putting on my least threatening smile, approach a couple of elderly Crewe supporters who, after listening to my tale of woe, were delighted to purchase a ticket for me.  We discussed the perilous situation their team found itself in, and I heard the real fears they had for their club should it go down. 

I mentioned that my own club Dunfermline were similarly involved in a relegation battle, and suggested their Good Samaritan act may bring Good Fortune to both of our clubs.  They said they hoped so, and we parted heading to different areas of the ground.  I was in the big newish main stand which, although an impressive structure, did seem to overly dominate the rest of the compact little ground.

It was called The Alexandra Stadium in 2005...

 

...come 2024, we now have The Mornflake Stadium.



The Air Products main stand, (completed in 1999) in 2005.

   

Same view in 2024 - the main stand is now known as The Boughy Stand.

The match began with home side on the back foot almost straight away, and Coventry’s former Crewe striker Dele Adebola headed an easy looking opportunity over the bar after only 3 minutes.  Any unworthy thoughts I may have had, that the Nigerian may have been going a touch easy on his old pals evaporated on 25 minutes, when ADEBOLA headed in a cross from Stephen Hughes. 

Crewe looked utterly disjointed and bereft of any ideas at this point, and were more than a little fortunate to reach half-time only one down.  The one gleam amongst the gloom was that Gillingham were also losing, at Nottingham Forest.

And then it came to pass that Dario Grady worked his magic during the break.  The anonymous Neil Sorvel was withdrawn to make way for Michael Higdon, and winger Luke Varney was somehow persuaded to get his finger out and start making a nuisance of himself down the Coventry right. 

Nine minutes was all it took for Crewe to draw level, HIGDON converting a pass from Varney, although I felt the visiting defence did seem to allow him an awful lot of time to turn and shoot.  Then the news came via a thousand radios, that Gillingham had levelled.  It changed nothing really – Crewe still required a win.

I am sure it was not the case, but just seemed like Coventry gradually lost interest in the proceedings.  Visitors’ attacks became fewer and fewer, and Crewe soon became camped in their opponents’ half.  Then with 18 minutes remaining the breakthrough came, as Irishman Steve JONES slipped a cross from (inevitably) Varney past Coventry ‘keeper Clayton Ince.  And then everyone around me believed.

Yet a mere 5 minutes later, a strange hushed murmuration arose within the stand, accompanied by a few groans, and not a few expletives.  Gillingham had scored, and Crewe were heading for the drop, and no amount of further goals scored here would affect things.  I cannot really explain what happened next, as I found my own anxiety levels growing exponentially at this point.  I was here as a neutral – there to observe, not to get caught up in all this nonsense. 

Yet I found myself desperately willing Forest to equalise, to help out these strangers all around me, to save this club from relegation.  This club which meant nothing to me.  Indeed, this club which had actually tried to fucking ban me from getting in!

And it worked !  With just 5 minutes remaining until the end of the season, the wonderfully named Eugen Bopp thumped in a volley for Forest, and the whole stand went potty.  Me included.  Utterly bizarre.  As the Great Man once said “Football? Bloody Hell!”



Happy Railwaymen taking the plaudits at time-up in 2005.

There was a markedly different crowd response
at the end of the match in 2024.

Gresty Road End.

Same view in 2024

 

 

Panorama of the Alexandra Stadium, Crewe (2005)

Same view in 2024

Same view in 2024

 **************************************************************************************************

Crewe Alexandra 0-5 Chesterfield

17th August 2024

Walking along South Street towards the ground this afternoon, I ended up in amongst a group of Chesterfield supporters of varying ages.  The eldest was saying "I hope we do better than the last time we were here.  We lost five nowt that day."  Well, his side did indeed do better, completely reversing the score-line.  In fact, the tally could easily have ended up in double-figures, given the number of second-half opportunities scorned by the visitors.

James BERRY-McNALLY got the show on the road after just 32 seconds (not quite fast enough to beat the quickest goal I can remember seeing in the flesh, as it were: Robin van Persie's 29 second strike against Sunderland in 2011).  

A quick-fire brace in the 11th and 12th minutes by, first Will GRIGG then BERRY-McNALLY again, supplied an already reeling Crewe defence with a double kick in the balls, before Tom NAYLOR (again from a corner) sparked off a mini-exodus from the fainter hearted members of the home support in the 28th minute.  Armando DOBRA added a fifth for the visitors four minutes after the restart.

Chesterfield really should have added to this lead thereafter but, with the game won, manager Paul Cook replaced all of his forwards giving a few fringe lads a run out.  I was disappointed Dilan Markanday was substituted, for he really looked an entertaining talent.  But best for the visitors, in my opinion, was the tall elegant Ollie Banks who strode through the match, running the midfield.  

There were a few gallows humour gasps from the home crowd when the official man of the match was announced as their very own Max Conway.  Although, to be fair, the chap was only introduced to the contest once all the significant damage had already been done.

The away fans enter via Gresty Road

 

 

Chesterfield's fourth goal led to a small number of disgruntled home fans 

choosing to leave less than half an hour into the match.  

The pony-tailed blonde here at least saw the funny side.

The best ever name for a stand?  Possibly.

The Mornflake Stadium.

Crewe Alexandra's ground is presently being marketed as The Mornflake Stadium, Mornflake being a local producer of various oaty breakfast bars and cereals.  Being a chap very fond of porridge/overnight oats, I though I may buy some to try it out.  But neither of the nearby shops - one directly opposite the ground - stocked the stuff.  Not a good look.

Before the match I had waddled along to the Crewe Heritage Centre, wherein is celebrated the town's rail history.  And a fine place to spend an hour of one's life it is.