Crewe Alex: Skipper looking forward to New Year with confidence

by Gwyn Griffiths

MAT Mitchel-King is convinced Crewe can salvage their season by mounting a New Year charge for the League Two play-offs.

A dismal run of form under Gudjon Thordarson left the Railwaymen trailing and a further decline after Dario Gradi's reinstatement left them languishing as low as 18th only last month.

But now the interim boss has triggered a revival in Crewe's fortunes and an unbeaten run of five games has seen them surge to within five points of the key top seven positions.

"We underachieved for much of the early part of the season and things were looking really bleak for us," admitted Mitchel-King, a summer free transfer capture from Blue Square Premier outfit Histon.

"But we've done well over the past month. We've won at Chesterfield and Barnet, who previously had unbeaten home records.

"We've shored it up at the back and we're looking dangerous up front."

Mitchel-King's blossoming central defensive partnership with Danny O'Donnell has been among the improvements on the pitch.

And that has allowed the 26-year-old more time to focus on the captaincy duties, which he struggled to administer at first because of his poor form.

He was handed the armband by Gradi against Rotherham on October 3, while former skipper Billy Jones served a one-game ban.

With Jones failing to regain his left-back spotberth, Mitchel-King looks to have taken on assumed a role he also held induring his Histon days on a long-term basis.

"It was a big honour for me to be made captain," added the defender.

"It felt natural to me being captain at Histon and I'd like to think managers identify me as a natural leader.

"But when I took it on here it coincided with a dip in form.

"I was just concerned with my own performances at the time and had a lot on my plate.

"It took two or three matches to shake those cobwebs out."

Mitchel-King and his team-mates may collectively have to do that if they resume action at home to League Two leaders Rochdale on Boxing Day.

They were left kicking their heels last Saturday when their home clash with Torquay suffered a late postponement in the freezing weather.

But Mitchel-King says they are desperate to see the clash with in-form Dale beat the weather, so they can continue their impressive run.

"We've done well against the form teams of late," noted the Alex captain.

"It was really disappointing to miss last weekend's game as Rochdale will go into Boxing Day with a recent game under their belt.

"I was very impressed when I watched the highlights of their win (4-0) over Shrewsbury, but we don't fear anyone.

"We're showing signs of what we can do and we've got players who are now hitting form.

"We made it hard for ourselves at the start of the season, but now I think we can be there or thereabouts at the end."