FA Cup second round

Carlisle United v Crewe Alexandra (7.45pm)

1. ​

   UNCERTAIN: Former Alex skipper Kenny Lunt says he is unsure over a permanent move to Crewe.

by Gwyn Griffiths

KENNY Lunt has thanked Dario Gradi for rescuing him from his Sheffield Wednesday nightmare ahead of tonight's FA Cup trip to Carlisle.

Owls boss Brian Laws has given Crewe the green light to use their former favourite in the second-round tie, suggesting a willingness to allow the 29-year-old to re-sign on a free transfer at Gresty Road when the transfer window opens at the turn of the year.

But Lunt stresses that, like Gradi, his role is still a temporary one and his main focus is on trying to help steer Crewe out of relegation trouble.

"Dario has done me a favour bringing me back, but as far as a permanent move is concerned I'm not too sure at the moment," revealed the midfielder.

"I have to concentrate on playing well for Crewe, although I'm not in Brian Laws's plans and I'm sure I will be leaving Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the season.

"I need to speak to people there, but at the moment I have a job to do here, so I'm not too concerned. I'm focused on helping Crewe try to win some games."

And tonight, at a chilly Brunton Park, would be as good a time as any for the creative youth graduate to kickstart a genuine Alex revival.

For Crewe, progress to the third-round stage would signal only a second win in 15 games; the other success was a laboured first-round outing against Blue Square Premier side Ebbsfleet in Steve Holland's penultimate game in charge.

Carlisle also avoided falling victim to a non-league upset when they saw off Grays at the weekend to set up a second meeting of the sides this season.

Back in August, when Crewe were on the receiving end of a 4-2 thumping, both clubs were under different management.

Since John Ward was sacked last month, Greg Abbott has steered the Cumbrians to three wins in five games and moved them clear of League One's bottom four.

It did take them three games (one abandoned replay) to finish off Grays, but the improvement under the former Leeds Academy coach has seen him installed as the favourite for the vacancy, one of several currently at struggling League One sides.

Gradi, on the other hand, has ruled himself out of the long-term occupancy of the Crewe position, although it won't have diminished his appetite to emerge victorious in tonight's battle of the caretaker bosses.

"It is good that Dario has come back in," said Lunt.

"He knows the club better than anyone. If someone was going to come back, it was going to be Dario. And if anyone can turn it around, then he can.

"It would be nice to go to Carlisle and win to give us a bit of confidence, although our main priority is the league.

"The Leicester game has given everyone a lift. We played well (despite 2-1 defeat last week) and were unlucky not to win."

Gradi, with two defeats in two since stepping in for Holland, is unlikely to deviate much from the radically changed line-up he fielded at the Walkers' Stadium.

Calvin Zola, Colin Daniel and goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson should feature again.

Carlisle have taken delivery of former Port Vale winger Chris Birchall on loan from Coventry, but he is ineligible tonight.

However, former Crewe keeper Ben Williams should get the nod over loanee Tim Krul to face his former team-mates.

Williams was heavily criticised during Ward's poor run and he lost his place to another loan man – Tottenham's Ben Alnwick.

But another ex-Alex man, Chris Lumsdon, won't feature in a midfield driven forward in the past month by former Stoke dynamo Graham Kavanagh, who, like left-back, Michael Liddle is on loan from Sunderland.

"Carlisle haven't suddenly fallen apart.

"I watched them beat Grays and they had enough quality and worked hard for their win," said Gradi.

"They have proper players and not kids playing in their team, so it will be hard.

"But we will get encouragement from the fact Grays created chances and could certainly have scored against them."