Keeper Arthur Okonkwo earns plaudits as Crewe grind out win

Posted Sunday, November 13, 2022 by PA

Interim boss Lee Bell saluted the work of keeper Arthur Okonkwo as he marked his first league game in charge of Crewe with a win.

Bell, who swapped roles with his assistant Alex Morris a week ago, says it is imperative the Railwaymen start stringing wins together after a poor run.

Dan Agyei’s 80th-minute header saw off Colchester to secure a first success since September 17, but Crewe could have been dead and buried at that stage had it not been for some brilliant work by Arsenal loanee Okonkwo.

The keeper kept out an Alex Newby effort in the first half and excelled himself when thwarting the same player in a one-on-one in the second.

“We need some wins and that is the most important thing for us to do. If we can’t do it in the way we set out to do it then we need to find a way,” said Bell.

“I thought it was a nervous performance in the first half – we only had one shot on goal and we weren’t hurting their weak areas. We made a couple of adjustments at half-time, but Arthur has kept us in the game with two brilliant saves.

“It was back to basics in terms of our defending, but we had a brilliant keeper helping us. I think he’s got eight clean sheets and if we keep clean sheets we’ve got players like Dan Agyei who can pop up like that and win the games.

“The staff and players here have been brilliant and the club can be proud of them as they are an exceptional group to work with.”

Colchester were dominant in the first half when Okonkwo denied Luke Hannant and Newby, who thought he had polished off a free-kick at the far post.

Agyei went close with an effort that flashed the wrong side of the post.

And while the former Oxford man went on to play a decisive role, Crewe should have been punished by Newby, who was slipped clear on goal but he failed to show a clinical edge and Okonkwo stuck out a long arm to divert the ball wide.

Within minutes Tariq Uwakwe’s searing run and cross was bundled in at the far post by Agyei to leave the Us without a win in six games.

Colchester head coach Matt Bloomfield said: “We didn’t defend our box at a crucial moment, but we dominated the game. Their manager said to me he didn’t know how they would have even got a point, never mind three.

“Okonkwo made incredible saves, including from Alex (Newby) who had a good game and on another day he scores two goals.

“We were the dominant team, but we didn’t see the game out and the ball came across and we weren’t good enough.

“I want us to have an identity and I think we showed that to a degree with our play. We’ll keep working, but we need results to turn in our favour.”