David Artell proud of Crewe’s fight after victory over Cheltenham
Posted Sunday, February 27, 2022 by PA
Crewe boss David Artell praised his team’s fighting spirit as they ended a seven-game losing run with a 2-1 success at Cheltenham.
Chris Porter scored the winner for League One’s bottom side after setting up the opener for strike partner Chris Long in the first half before Kion Etete’s leveller for Cheltenham early in the second period.
“We thoroughly deserved it,” Artell said. “We’ve had decent performances recently and not got the results.
“Football’s all about putting the ball in the net and both strikers scored and so that’s pleasing.
“The lads are running around and committed. We don’t mean to lose, we’re not trying to lose, so I’m glad our fans are going back up the M6 happy.
“We know where we are and so I’m delighted for the fans today as it would’ve been quite easy to stay at home.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the players. They don’t need to win for me, they need to win for themselves. If they do the right things more often than not, they’ll win games and have good careers.”
Crewe took the lead after 19 minutes through Long’s fine finish after Porter nodded a high ball into his path.
Cheltenham had only lost one of their previous 10 games and they restored parity three minutes into the second half.
Alfie May played in strike partner Etete and he fired a low shot under Richards to register his second goal since joining on loan from Tottenham in January.
But Crewe claimed three vital points in their daunting relegation fight when Dan Agyei’s corner was nodded in by Porter for his fifth of the season and his first goal of 2022.
It was Cheltenham’s first defeat in seven and manager Michael Duff admitted his team looked lethargic after their midweek away trip to Ipswich, where they battled for a 0-0 draw.
“It looked like the end of a long week because it was flat,” Duff said.
“We actually started the game really well and should have been 1-0 up in the first two minutes.
“But we never really got a foothold in the game and the players didn’t do any of the things we asked them to do.
“We looked leggy and the atmosphere was flat. Sometimes supporters need to realise we are not just going to rock up and beat teams.
“Ultimately, they’ve had two shots on goal from two set plays, so as poor as we were with the ball, we can’t give up goals like that.
“I have just said to them in there, just as you think you’ve cracked it, football has a nasty habit of cutting your legs off. It’s a reality check.”
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