Ryan Dicker said that his Crewe Alexandra side are focused on the task at hand ahead of this weekend’s visit of Harrogate Town.
Fresh off the back of their 3-1 victory over leaders Stockport County, The Railwaymen have embedded themselves within the top three heading into the final stretch of the season and are two points ahead of Wrexham.
They welcome Harrogate Town to Gresty Road as two of the division’s surprise packages face off for a valuable three points in both sides’ hunt for promotion. The Sulphurites sit outside of the play-off spots only on goal difference, kept out by Notts County.
After a devastating 9-2 demolition by Mansfield Town, Simon Weaver’s team are looking to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time since the last time they played both The Stags and Crewe in succession four months ago.
Speaking to the press ahead of Saturday’s game, Dicker said that his side did not get carried away following their win at Edgeley Park. He continued: “We take the three points and then we move on to the next game. We can’t dwell on it. It was one game you can get three points for and we got three points.
“For the fans, it was a terrific night for them, as it was for the players but you’ve got to quickly come down to earth and concentrate on what’s coming next.”
Alexandra won the battle of the Cheshire clubs with goals from Mickey Demetriou, Ed Turns and Josh Austerfield, with both centre-backs also providing assists as well. 33-year-old Demetriou now also leads the club in goal contributions in the league this season with thirteen.
Lee Bell’s assistant gave high regards to Harrogate coming into the game this weekend, adding: “Harrogate are still a team in form, one defeat does not mean you are now out of form. They’ve been on a terrific run of results, and performances as well.
“They’re a good footballing team, a really well-organised team with and without the football. it doesn’t surprise me where they sit in the table with the performances they’ve been putting in.”
Writer’s View
Crewe’s match against Harrogate is a game that very few would have expected to be a promotion battle. The Real EFL expected both sides to struggle this season when we predicted the table in July and thought that the North Yorkshire side would drop out of the Football League. It is a testament to both sides to see them battling at the top of the division in February in what will be a very interesting encounter.
Simon Weaver’s side will look to bounce back after their pummeling in Nottinghamshire, and facing another club in the promotion spots is no easy task. The Alex’s backline is one of the league’s strongest, not to mention their goalscoring prowess. 20 of Crewe’s goals this season have come from their defenders, meaning they have danger all over the pitch. Gresty Road will surely be energised this weekend following their decisive result against Stockport on Tuesday.
