There was a notable absentee from the Crewe Alexandra side that took to the field for the crunch match against play-off rivals Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon.
News filtered through around 45 minutes before kick-off of Nick Powell’s tonsillitis giving him the day off, hearts dropped at the thought of negotiating such a difficult match without the talismanic teenager who has come of age so majestically in his debut year as a first teamer.
Shaun Miller was drafted in for him, hoping to put his horrendous run of no goals since September behind him, but Powell is a catalyst for all things good about this Crewe team that had gone 13 games unbeaten and the spark for the wave that this young side currently sits on the edge of. Nerves were already frayed in the build-up to a vital game regarding both sides aspirations for a top seven finish, but Powell’s absence duly added to the tension tenfold. Miller had an early chance saved by Cheltenham’s recalled goalkeeper Scott Brown, in after Birmingham had taken back promising youngster Jack Butland from his spell at Whaddon Road, but it was clear that Powell’s void in the attacking midfield slot had left Crewe’s forward play shorn of ideas as neither team could settle in the over-riding tautness of a scrappy first half.
Billy Bodin, urged to step his game up by the Alex faithful in the midst of an unconvincing loan spell from Swindon Town, buzzed into the game when he could, willing to take his man on and threaten the Robin’s defence with skilful running. He was however found wanting defensively and after neat work down his stationed right side, Cheltenham’s left, produced good opportunity for Kaid Mohammed that flew the wrong side of the post, the restlessness in the crowd was nearing the unbearable. It was not until left winger Byron Moore propped up in the central position, of Powell’s designated space, until Crewe looked properly threatening as he stung Brown’s gloves with a rasping drive.
Then followed a succession of corners and the moment of the match; Ashley Westwood found space on the left following a cleared corner and as the sun peered through the South Cheshire clouds to beat down on the grass, he whipped in a dangerous second ball which was headed down by Harry Davis and hooked home by David Artell, probably the most immobile player on the pitch, on the overhead kick. It was almost surreal as the relief poured out in celebration on the stroke of half-time, the deadlock had been unlocked, vitally, and as the crowd paused for 15 minutes of reflection with news of Plymouth holding Oxford at 1-1, the reality of ending the day in that all elusive play-off zone began to kick in.
The job was far from over though and so began a pensive second half. Artell limped off with a hamstring pull he did through scoring the goal and on came Kelvin Mellor at right-back to replace Harry Davis who shuffled across to centre-back. Davis had looked nervy at full-back throughout and Mellor immediately settled into a calm reassurance that has been a surprising factor in this unbeaten run as he had filled in for the returning Matt Tootle. Cheltenham had their chances, Ben Burgess saw his shot well saved by goalkeeper Steve Phillips whilst right at the very end, when fingernails had been chewed to death as every painstaking second of five minutes ticked by, substitute Daryl Duffy curled his effort wide into the Railway end, and Crewe reached the final whistle to take their place in the top seven.
Cheltenham had appeared anaemic in attack throughout but with Crewe’s penchant for doing things the hard way festering in the minds of so many Alex supporters, returning in their droves coincidentally to post a figure of 5,495 from out of wholly unexpected, there was always a sense Cheltenham could nick an equaliser to deflate proceedings. It wasn’t to be however and Steve Davis appeared in the calm of the after-match celebrations to say the result was the priority and very few could care too much about the standard of performance as they flocked home, or better still, to the club end of season awards party being hosted in the evening.
Powell was well enough to take home a clean sweep of gongs, player of the year, young player of the year as well as goal of the year, his superb 35 yard drifting effort to beat Paulo Gazzaniga at Gillingham the obvious choice among a personalised catalogue of his own majestic efforts. Arguments to be made for Adam Dugdale, Luke Murphy, Byron Moore or even goalkeeper Steve Phillips could have been valid for the player of the year award, but Powell was a unanimous verdict as he has attracted a plethora of scouts from around the top divisions to his talents that have been operating at the tender age of 17 for the majority of the season, it has been an incredible rise to prominence, yet so hideously ignored by the PFA as they voted for their best eleven players at their own awards event on Sunday night
The skills are in place to back-up his often arrogant-looking demeanour that has earned him a couple of rough afternoons and nights at the hands of desperate League Two defenders as they try in vain to stop him, Powell is resilient and persistent and if any indication is needed of how often he has let the rough tactics get to him, 14 goals from a withdrawn striking position is enough, if not just 3 bookings in 34 appearances since a terrible sending off away at Shrewsbury back in August. His maturity into a truly talented professional who has been the subject of consistent bids from Arsenal has been utterly fantastic to watch and to say he will be one of Crewe’s best ever productions from their glistening conveyor belt of talent is certainly not hyperbole.
News has been quick to follow that Powell will indeed be fit to take his place on the long trip down to automatic promotion candidates Torquay next Saturday for another huge game that could see, dependent on results at Oxford, Crewe cement a play-off position to cap off what has been a wonderful year, more specifically, the year of the precocious talent of Nick Powell.
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