FA Cup third round

Millwall 2, Crewe Alexandra 2

by Gwyn Griffiths

GUDJON Thordarson has arrived at Crewe with a reputation of being a healer of wounded morale and discipline.

But as the old adage goes, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". So the new Alex boss was happy to ease his way in with the minimum of disruption in his first game at the helm.

Granted, he didn't have much choice as a lengthy injury list was compounded by a bout of sickness, leaving the Crewe bench with six and not the seven substitutes permitted in the FA Cup.

Yet you suspect had the manager's options been more generous, he would still have relished pitching in teenagers Danny Shelley and Luke Murphy again after their success at Hartlepool.

On this occasion it was Shelley who produced the eye-catching and decisive strike as Crewe again frustrated Kenny Jackett's promotion-chasers.

While the Lions devoured possession in much the same way they had done in the recent goalless league game, they found Crewe's resistance stubborn in the extreme, and as they ran out of steam in the second half there was a sense of déjà-vu about the New Den.

But the Alex faithful would happily settle for playing the rewind button on this performance, at Southend, Northampton and Peterborough over the next month.

For if their side can back up their impressive form on the road by starting to win some games back at the Alexandra Stadium, then they have every chance of closing the eight-point gap to League One safety.

Tomorrow night's visit of Bristol Rovers should be a good pointer as to the likelihood of a "Great Escape" as well as offering Thordarson more clues as he continues his squad assessment.

The transfer window has been open four days, but Crewe's new supremo isn't going to rush into cutting deals just yet.

His injury list will hamper his judgment to a certain extent, although he did have Calvin Zola, Tom Pope and Ben Rix available again in London.

None of the trio made the starting line-up as the new man stuck to almost the same personnel and same system which had served Dario Gradi so well in his last game in charge.

Shelley, a tad nervous on his debut at Victoria Park, was fearless and committed, while fellow teenager Murphy ran himself into the ground.

Toss in a performance of real leadership from stand-in captain Dennis Lawrence and you have the nucleus of a successful backs-to-the-wall operation.

So much so they were able to shake off the disappointment of two goalkeeping gaffes from Stuart Tomlinson, which helped Millwall to an interval lead.

"You look at them, they are very young, but it is very healthy how the kids take themselves forward," said Thordarson.

"If you look at Luke Murphy, he was battling all over. They are things people didn't expect them to do, but they are there and we are actually asking a lot of the young players.

"Both Danny and Luke have had a great impact in the last two games and they shouldn't have any worries. All we need to do is encourage them to continue."

With his loan extended to the end of the season and Trinidadian duty behind him, Lawrence now looks more like the established player he should be.

His defending was simple and effective and his head was often applied in his own box.

As it was at the other end when Crewe stole the lead after just 12 minutes when David Forde failed to command his area.

The home keeper was off his line and nowhere near the centre-half when he connected with Mark Carrington's lofted free-kick to send a looping header into an unguarded net.

"Dennis is a big lad and it proved an easy goal after the keeper left his goalmouth," said the new manager. "Dennis was excellent, he was our captain and he defended well with a cool and calm head."

That was a cue for some relentless home pressure and Tomlinson had to take evasive action when Danny O'Donnell's over-hit back-pass looked to be veering past him.

After failing to inspire over Christmas games, Jackett had Gary Alexander up front rather than Neil Harris, but it was Leeds loanee Tresor Kandol who had most chances to undo Crewe's good work.

He went close with a flicked effort just over, but was wasteful on more than one occasion. He turned and blazed high and wide at the back stick and then after taking Alexander's flick-on he contrived to scoop the ball over, albeit from a tight angle.

Sadly, the complexion of the tie was changed when Tomlinson failed to hold Lewis Grabban's cross. While James Bailey scrambled Marc Laird's shot off the line, the former Port Vale loanee was able to take advantage of a fortunate ricochet to ram his second effort home five minutes before the break.

Then in stoppage time, Tomlinson allowed Andy Frampton's far-post header from a Scott Barron delivery to slip through his hands like the proverbial bar of soap.

This time Bailey, back in midfield for the flu-infected Michael O'Connor, was unable to perform any goal-line heroics and Crewe went in understandably aggrieved to be behind.

But as at Hartlepool, their pace on the counter-attack proved an effective game plan.

When Colin Daniel was chopped down by Alan Dunne inside the D, Shelley unveiled a secret weapon – although one perhaps known to observers of this season's away FA Youth Cup clashes – when he belted a thunderous free-kick low into the bottom corner.

"I've seen (in training) that Danny is capable of pulling the trigger," commented Thordarson. "So I encouraged him before the game to do it. I told him the worst thing can happen is that it will hit the stand. He was also excellent with his defending as well. You can't actually see how young he is."

The superb finish was the stand-out moment of the tie and thankfully eclipsed everything that followed it as Millwall, as they had 14 days earlier, perspired in vain and without much quality to eke out a winner.

In fact, Shaun Miller should have left them without even the solace of the replay when he broke clear in the 74th minute, only to slide his shot past Forde, but also the wrong side of the post.

Veteran Harris was on in the closing stages and produced a rare fright when he drove across the face of goal, while Tomlinson redeemed himself by getting in the way of sub Karl Moore's angled effort.

But for sheer application with another makeshift side, Crewe deserved their place in the fourth round draw yesterday, which handed them the possibility of an away tie against Hull City or Newcastle United.

"Not many teams come to the New Den and get two draws," reminded Daniel.

"I felt a quite experienced player in that side. But we have a lot of injuries and the youngsters have had to come in and do a job.

"Obviously there is that little bit extra pressure on us when we are out on the pitch with the new manager in. But we're starting to believe we can actually do it now and there is a lot of confidence going around the team.

"Now if we can get off the bottom of the table I think we will start to play better football with the pressure off us a bit."