David Artell determined Crewe will bounce back after relegation

Posted Sunday, April 10, 2022 by PA

Boss David Artell insisted Crewe would bounce back after their relegation from League One was confirmed by a 2-0 defeat at Doncaster.

Defeat at the Eco-Power Stadium ended Alex’s stay in the third tier after two years, but Artell does not believe they will be outside the division for long.

“We’ve done it once and we will do it again,” he said. “I can promise that.

“I’m absolutely determined that we will see some success again and I will be here for as long as somebody tells me otherwise.”

An ‘Artell Out’ banner was displayed among the away supporters, who chanted several times for the manager to go.

But Artell believes he will be stronger for the experience of this season – as will some of his younger players.

“I get it – the fans sing the players names when they do well and chant the manager’s name when they don’t,” Artell said. “It comes with the territory.

“I’ve learned more during my last two months in management than I had in the previous four-and-a-half years without a shadow of doubt.

“It wasn’t stuff I wanted to learn, but you have to.

“It’s been a season to forget for lots of reasons, which has culminated in this afternoon.

“I would imagine we have given more debuts this season than any other. We are already building a team and you have got to remember that Perry Ng was 19 when he made his debut.

“That’s the situation we are in, but, by and large, those young players have taken those opportunities. It’s across the board that we haven’t done well enough.”

Goals from captain Tommy Rowe and Josh Martin earned Doncaster a victory which kept their slim survival hopes alive.

Rovers are now five points from safety with four games remaining and boss Gary McSheffrey insists they will keep fighting.

He said: “I said to the lads before the game that it was all about our performance. We played well the previous week without the cutting edge to score and we respect Crewe, but we felt we’re a better team.

“I wanted them to be brave, get on the ball, score some goals and enjoy themselves.

“That is how it has to be in the remaining games.

“We respect the opposition, do our homework on them, but it’s all about the performance level.

“It’s all about the next game for us now. We’ve not got back-to-back wins all season and, if we could, then that will give the lads so much confidence and momentum.

“You never know. We’re still in there fighting. We’re still in the position where we can still try to close the gap.”