Lee Bell saluted his players for digging themselves out of a wretched run to reignite Crewe’s promotion bid with an emphatic win over Barrow.
Goals either side of the interval from Connor O’Riordan and Tommy Lowery, who both returned to the club on loan during January, and a late strike from Matus Holicek secured the Railwaymen’s first win in seven games.
Alex boss Bell said: “I thought it was a really good performance and it was good that we’ve not carried anybody today. Everyone has done their job and I was delighted for the players and the staff who have worked hard to help us through this period.
“With Connor and Tommy you can see what it means to them – the players really appreciate it when they have an opportunity to come back. It means a lot to them and I was delighted for them to score goals – and for Matus as well, as we’ve been on to him about scoring more.
“Matus’ goal was a really good bit of football and Calum Agius did extremely well on the outside, it would have been easy for him to try and score himself but we had two players in the box ready to score.
“This is a really pleasing result and I’m pleased for the players, staff and the crowd who have all stuck together through this tricky period.”
Crewe had lost three of their previous six outings and injuries to key frontmen have hampered their progress in recent weeks.
They hardly looked like promotion contenders in a low-key first half at Gresty Road. Jamie Knight-Lebel kept Aaron Pressley’s close-range effort out and it took a set-piece to get Bell’s side going, with Jack Powell’s low delivery pushed out by keeper Paul Farman and giant defender O’Riordan plundering the rebound.
Filip Marschall preserved the lead by keeping out Pressley’s far-post header before the interval and when Kyle Cameron’s high boot sent Adrien Thibaut sprawling in the box early in the second half, Lowery sent Farman the wrong way from the spot.
Holicek added a third when he drove in off the post after brilliant work from substitute Agius.
Barrow boss Whing said: “The penalty decision was outside the box and was a very poor decision. Until that point there was nothing in the game.
“We’d had three very good chances with one cleared off the line and their keeper parried one out. Crewe didn’t really create anything in the first half.
“But the timing of the penalty killed us right after half-time. We looked ragged after that and it was a really poor third goal to concede. That last 10 minutes really annoyed me and I won’t accept that.
“We haven’t won away for five months and the fans who travel to watch us don’t want to see players giving up working hard. They have every right to have a go at players who were throwing in the towel at the end.”
