Stephen Crainey hails substitutes as Fleetwood boost survival hopes

Posted Sunday, April 03, 2022 by PA

Stephen Crainey hailed the impact of substitutes Anthony Pilkington and Ellis Harrison as Fleetwood secured their first win in 14 games.

Pilkington’s header and a close-range finish from Harrison secured the Cod Army their first win since January 15.

After a wretched run of injuries, boss Crainey is delighted the re-emergence of the second-half goalscorers, as well as former non-league youngster Harvey Macadam, will boost competition among his squad for the run-in.

He handed Macadam his first start after a January move from Ashton United and the 21-year-old repaid him by heading the visitors’ opener.

Chris Long replied for Crewe against his former club, but Fleetwood had the edge in the finishing department with Pilkington flicking home a header and Harrison stabbing in the rebound after Crewe goalkeeper Dave Richards saved Pilkington’s shot.

“It was a real solid performance from start to finish and while it was disappointing that Crewe got the goal just before half-time, our response in the second half was outstanding,” said Crainey.

“It was a real collective effort that got us over the line. Harvey has been showing real good qualities in training and his energy and life from the midfield area is a real asset for us.

“We’ve got lots of competition for places which is healthy. Pilks and Ellis only trained yesterday so the minutes they got will stand them in good stead. The quality we’ll get when we get them up to speed can only benefit the squad.

“We’ve got three massive home games and if we apply ourselves on the pitch we’ll get the backing of the fans as they really drove us forward in the second half today.

“We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ll enjoy today and prepare for Tuesday night (against Lincoln).”

Crewe have now lost 13 of their last 14 games and their boss Dave Artell said: “We scored on half-time and for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the second half Fleetwood couldn’t get out of their half.

“The first time they do they score and we went down with a whimper, which is the disappointing thing. The third goal was a nail in the coffin.

“It is the third game in recent weeks the opposition have made two substitutions and they have scored. That shows where we are at and the effect that can have on us.

“We all knew the magnitude of the result and we made it abundantly clear to the players beforehand. When you put it all together it’s a disastrous result.”