LASTSEASON
LEAGUETWO9thFACUPFirstRoundLEAGUECUP
SecondRoundTOPSCORERJaydenStockley(16)LASTSEASON
LEAGUE TWO 12th FA CUP First Round
LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Chris Porter (15)FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 77CREWE ALEXAnDRA EXETER CITY
SEASOn PREVIEW
FFTVERDICT
15TH FFT VERDICT
8TH
Gresty Road will be awash with
confidence after last term’s strong
finish, but key defender George Ray
has left and he’s unlikely to be the
last. Still, if Crewe can keep up their
2019 form, instead of taking five
points from their first 13 away ties
again, this verdict could age badly.Replacing Paul Tisdale, Matt Taylor
was impressive in his first year of
management even though Exeter
finished 9th – the lowest they had
been all season. Replacing Christy
Pym and Hiram Boateng won’t be
easy, but Taylor is building his own
side and Exeter will be competitive.The big talking point among the fans
is forward Jordan Bowery managing
to get a contract at MK Dons!
This season will be different because
Crewe have a group of players who
are now experienced at this level and
should, I hope, be able to perform on
a more consistent basis.
Our most underrated player is Ryan
Wintle – playing in front of the back
four, the 22-year-old can go under the
radar. I would love him to add a few
more goals to his game.
Look out for defender Perry Ng. He’s
already capable of playing at a higher
level. It’s a a matter of when, not if,
he’s snapped up.
The pantomime villain will be Tom
Pope at our Burslem neighbours, Port
Vale. He’s extremely good in the role,
though I think most Crewe fans also
have a grudging respect for him.
The best away ground is Moss Rose,
Macclesfield, for the Cheshire Derby
[December 7]. Last season, we stoodon an open terrace – proper old-school- and watched a 3-3 draw there. The
place was absolutely rocking.
Did you know that Crewe were named
Alexandra back in 1877 after Princess
Alexandra of Denmark, who married
Queen Victoria’s eldest son, who later
became King Edward VII.
Our key player will be forward Charlie
Kirk, if we can keep hold of him. He’s
a goalscorer and creator.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that David Artell [below] now knows
the club inside-out and has its best
interests at heart. He’s well liked by
the fans, and he won me over during
the second half of last season. The
players like him, too – he has been
instrumental in several of our young
players signing new contracts. I do,
however, think he can still improve in
terms of being more proactive with
his substitutions when a game isn’t
going to plan.
If he left, he should be replaced by
Michael Jolley at Grimsby. Young,
ambitious and intelligent, he also
knows the club as he was a youth
coach here in the past.
We’ll finish 10th.
The big talking point among the fans
is how gaffer Matt Taylor will go about
replacing the backroom staff who have
left the club.
This season will be different because
Taylor is finally releasing the Tisdale
shackles and implementing his own
style of play, with players that he has
brought in himself.
I won’t be happy unless we finish
above Argyle.
The best thing about the matchday
experience at St James Park is the
close-knit community that comes with
a family-run football club.
The one recommendation for away
fans is to avoid walking from the city
centre to the ground.
The player I’d happily drive to
another club is Lee Holmes. A great
player on his day, but sadly that day
passed a few seasons ago.
The one change I’d make to the club
would be to stop being beaten to new
players by teams from a lower league.Our best celebrity fans are probably
Adrian Edmondson and [swimmer]
Liam Tancock, although Joss Stone
apparently watches from afar as well.
Our key player will be Ryan Bowman
[above]. He joined us from Motherwell
in January and chipped in with a few
goals. Once he has a full pre-season
under his belt, he’ll be up at the top
end of League Two’s scoring charts.
Our most underrated player is Archie
Collins [below]. The 19-year-old broke
through in 2018-19 and could be the
next big money-making transfer from
us to someone higher up the pyramid.
Look out for Ben Seymour – if he gets
a fair chance during this League Two
campaign, we could have a real gem
on our hands.
Save the date for March 21: Plymouth
away. Enough said.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that Taylor has come into the job and
done absolute bits. He cleared out the
deadwood from the previous season,
has implemented his own style of play,
and is extremely open and honest in
his press conferences – something us
Grecians aren’t used to!
We’ll finish in the play-offs. Again.FAn FILE
TOM KURAL
@Tom_KuralFAn FILE
JOSH DENHAM
@_JoshDenham