Formbook turned upside down

CREWE manager Steve Davis hopes his club are heading to SportsDirect.com Park at the opportune moment.

While the bottom-of-the-table Railwaymen are buoyant after seeing off Bristol City, Athletic are down in the dumps after a pair of chastening defeats.

Davis is hoping to avoid feeling the effects of a backlash, while also admitting he would gladly exchange positions with Athletic right now.

“It could be a good time to go there, but I know Lee will be hurting because of that type of result,” said Davis, a Cheshire neighbour of Johnson who allowed Athletic’s boss to train at the club before he took up his first role in management.

“I’m sure he’ll be working hard to put them right mentally as well as physically.

“So we’ve got to be aware of the things that can come from a big defeat like that, but we go into it confident and looking forward to it.

“They’ve had a terrific first half of the season and I think in this league you are going to get those types of results.

“You will get a good thumping every now and then because the teams in this league are so good that if you have an off day and they have a good day you’re going to be beaten heavily.

“The important thing is how you respond to those heavy defeats.

“You’ve got to put them behind you very quickly and I’m sure Lee will want to do that and the players will want to let that result and performance go.

“It is only three points. They’re in a healthy position in the league and we’d happily swap places with them.”

THE FORM . . .

An horrendous start to the season saw the Alex lose 11 of their opening 14 matches in all competitions.

Things picked up a little with three straight victories over Coventry, Walsall and Peterborough in October.

But even though Steve Davis’s side have managed to dig out some useful draws since — and they have been unlucky, by all accounts, in the recent 1-1 stalemate against Doncaster and 2-1 loss at Scunthorpe — the victory over Bristol City last week courtesy of Jamie Ness’s sweet strike was a bolt from the blue as the first three-pointer for almost two months.

PLAYER GUIDE . . .

They may have only scored two goals between them, but on-loan front pair Uche Ikpeazu and Nicky Ajose have revitalised a side that was struggling to test opposition defences — while leaking plenty of goals.

Leeds man Ajose, in particular, will need close attention, having scored 17 times at this level last season for Swindon and Peterborough before netting a three-year contract at Elland Road.

Defender Alan Tait has returned to Swansea after his loan period came to an end. But Crewe are also benefiting from borrowed men Jamie Ness of Stoke, who plays in central midfield, and Manchester City’s wing-back Greg Leigh.

EXPERT VIEW . . .

Rich Sharpe, The Sentinel: “Steve Davis, is very positive and that’s the kind of person he is. Among the fans, the feeling is that Crewe really need to keep hold of the loan players after January.”

LINE-UP . . . 3-5-2

Garratt; Ray, Davis, Guthrie; Baillie, Grant, Ness, Turton, Leigh; Ikpeazu, Ajose.