The Mariners are in Skybet League Two action for only the third time this calendar year in tomorrow’s trip to take on Crewe Alexandra.
With our matches against Harrogate Town and Crawley Town postponed due to the cold period last month, this marks our first league fixture since our trip to Swindon Town.
Since then, the Mariners have bounced back with a superb showing at Skybet Championship side Luton Town, earning a replay after a 2-2 draw. Before that replay, the Mariners will be looking to build some form at Gresty Road.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into the match.
Team News
Manager Paul Hurst told the media earlier this week that each of the three Deadline Day signings are fit and available for tomorrow’s match with Tom Dickson-Peters, Josh Emmanuel and George Lloyd all in line for potential debuts.
No new injury concerns were picked up in the 2-2 draw at Luton and the Mariners could welcome back the likes of James McAtee and Mikey O’Neill with the pair unavailable last weekend.
Danny Amos also comes back into contention after serving his one-match suspension following his red card at Swindon.
Watch the full pre-match interview with the gaffer on Mariners TV HERE.
Crewe Alexandra
Tomorrow’s hosts find themselves one place above the Mariners in the League Two table after a 1-1 draw against Stockport saw Crewe rise to 16th place, albeit having played a game more than Town.
While wins have been hard to come by for the hosts this season, Crewe have a league-high ten draws to their name with three of those coming in the last five matches.
One reason for not being able to turn those draws into wins is a lack of goals. The Railwaymen have scored just 21 in the league this season, the worse record apart from a Gillingham side who find themselves down in 23rd. The absence of top scorer Courtney Baker-Richardson hasn’t helped that with the striker having been out of action since mid-November with a hamstring injury.
Previous Meetings
The Mariners haven’t faced Crewe in League Two yet this season with our home match called off earlier this season.
We have, however, hosted tomorrow’s opponents in the Carabao Cup with the Mariners recording a superb 4-0 victory in the First Round of the tournament. Luke Waterfall, Andy Smith, Kieran Green and Stephen Wearne scored Town’s goals and you can watch the highlights of the match HERE.
The Mariners haven’t won a league match at Gresty Road since a 2-1 victory in what was then Division Three on 8th September 1990. Neil Woods and John Cockerill scored Town’s goals on that day.
Referee
Paul Howard will be the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon. The last time he refereed the Mariners was a 3-0 League Two defeat at home to Morecambe in April 2021. He will be assisted by Anthony Moore and Jacob Lehane.
Coverage
Due to broadcast regulations, Saturday’s match will be streamed live on Mariners TV for overseas viewers only. Live stream passes can be bought for £10 HERE with coverage set to start at 2:30pm.
Highlights of the match will be available on Mariners TV and Youtube on Sunday.
UTM
