Salford City v Crewe Alex 24/25 Preview - A Fair Crack

The Alex have been to Moor Lane 3 times since Salford came up to the EFL. Ok, the first game, they lost fair and square. But in their last 2 trips, acts of sabotage, first from Bassala Sambou and then from Thomas Kirk, have denied them potential results.

That scorching hot day in 22-23 when Sambou's idiotic red card cost them dearly, then Mr Kirks' infamous 'refereeing' display last season, were 2 big reasons why they failed to take anything from the games. If they can avoid getting shafted by either their own player or the official, they might just get something out of this game. Here is my preview of their 4th visit to Moor Lane:

Mentally Recover

Recovering from a defeat, even a heavy one, is something players do all the time. But recovering from seeing one of your teammates snap his leg isn't common. The Alex have been put through the mill mentally all season, but this is arguably their toughest test of the season. How they bounce back from not only the mauling on Tuesday but the devastation of Shilow Tracey's injury will show us a lot about this team and it's promotion chops.

Out of Form

Salford rode the crest of a wave as they won 6 straight games to move them into the top 3 by early January. However, what looked to be a likely promotion charge has melted away in the last few weeks. 1 win from their last 10 games has seen them slide from 3rd down to 11th and they now sit 6 points off the play-offs, with their season's hopes hanging by a thread. Let's pray the Alex don't give them a leg up and a route back into play-off contention by letting them win here.

Big Crowd

I'll say this, the Alex bottling it in front of big away crowds feels like a thing of the past in the last 2 seasons. Since the start of last season, they have a record of 4-4-2 on the road in front of away crowds which exceed 750. Their only defeats were at Salford, as previously mentioned, and Walsall on Boxing Day 2023. They've picked up wins over Stockport, Notts County, Morecambe and Chesterfield. With another bumper away crowd going to this game, it would be a great time to pick up another result and make it 5 wins.

More suited

And speaking of away games, I almost feel more comfortable with this being at Moor Lane than I would do were it at Gresty Road. Since the start of last season, the Alex have played better football on the road and gotten better results, at least in terms of the calibre of opposition beaten. In the same time span that they've lost 11 home games, they've lost just 10 on the road.

Their desire to sit deep, not control possession and hit on the counter attack feels tailor made for this game and I'm more optimistic because of it.

Pitch Beware

The Alex will have to handle their players very carefully in this game. Last week, Bradford came to Moor Lane and lost Antoni Sarcevic and Romoney Crichlow to injuries. For that reason, I hope that both Chris Long and Omar Bogle remain on the bench. Salford's pitch is maybe even worse than the Alex's, so looking after their more susceptible to injury players will be vital.

Ref Watch

Zac Kennard-Kettle

Kettle you say? That name rings a bell. That would be because Zac is the son of the infamous Trevor Kettle. I just hope he's a better ref than his father was. Thankfully though, they'll be no Teej Kirk controversy this time, as Zac was born in Slough. So no Salford connections I don't think!

The concern though is that Kennard-Kettle is yet another inexperienced ref, with just 11 EFL games to his name. I worry this game could get away from him.

2024-25 Record: 25 games(3 League One, 8 League Two, 8 National League, 5 FA Trophy, 1 FA Cup), 83 yellows, 3 reds

Last Game: Bradford City 3-0 Cheltenham Town, EFL League Two, 4th March 2025, 6 yellows

Crewe Alex Record: N/A

Injuries/Absences

Salford City

Curtis Tilt missed Tuesday's game with a personal issue, so who knows if he's back. Joint top scorer Cole Stockton has missed the last few games, so he might be out. Ossama Ashley, Conor McAleny and Kylian Kouassi are also out. So they'll be down a few difference makers it seems.

Crewe Alex

We know Shilow Tracey begins his long path to recovery, so he's out obviously. Tommy Lowery has a sprained ankle, so personally I doubt they risk him, given they have a tough run of games coming up after this. Kane Hemmings looks to be available which is good news and Connolly, Demetriou and Lankester aren't far away either.

Team

Urgh, this isn't a fun one this week. What to do, what to do? Well, as I said, neither Bogle nor Long start due to Salford's horrendous pitch. Bizarrely, I wouldn't actually make that many changes for this game. I'd keep the same system, which I think works fine for away games. And I would keep a similar starting XI to the one that started on Tuesday.

The back 3 all stay the same, but Billington gets recalled at RWB and Cooney makes way. Conway obviously starts on the other side. In midfield, if Lowery can't make, Sanders and Powell start together, which isn't ideal, but I don't think Thomas is fit enough to start and I don't want to see Tabiner or Holicek in there.

Speaking of those 2, they stay out wide and they flank Adrien Thibaut, who not only comes back into the squad, but into the starting line up. The bench would then be Booth, Cooney, Thomas, Agius, Long, Bogle and Hemmings.

Score Prediction

I had an uneasy feeling on Tuesday. But with Salford, who aren't in good form and this being an away game, I'm a bit more bullish. The Alex got no luck on Tuesday and as mentioned, they're due some on this ground, that's for damn sure.

So for that reason, I'm going to say it'll be a narrow away win. I just hope my confidence doesn't come back to bite me.

Salford City 1-2 Crewe Alexandra