• Railwaymen held by resolute Town
• Third clean sheet in four games
• Bell’s men slip to fourth in table

Crewe Alexandra had to settle for a share of the spoils when Harrogate Town came to Mornflake Stadium.

The Railwaymen were frustrated by a resolute defensive display from the visitors, but could not have given any more in pursuit of an extra two points.

Courtney Baker-Richardson hit the underside of the bar, while Shilow Tracey and Charlie Kirk went desperately close in the final stages.

It was Crewe’s third clean sheet in four, and the draw means Crewe have only lost one in the last 10. But they have dropped to fourth in League Two. 

Both teams were unchanged after very different results in midweek.

Crewe were looking to push on after taking the scalp of leaders Stockport, while the visitors were aiming to bounce back after being hammered 9-2 by Mansfield.

Rod McDonald, Crewe’s 2022-23 Player of the Year, was not involved for Harrogate due to injury.

The visitors went close early on when Matty Daly got behind the Alex defence but screwed a shot just wide of the far post.

Crewe controlled the ball and pegged their opponents back for most of the half, but clear-cut chances were difficult to create against a resolute defence.

The hosts were dealt a blow when skipper Luke Offord limped off with an ankle injury.

His replacement, Ryan Cooney, sent in a 38^th-minute cross and Courtney Baker-Richardson flicked a header wide. But the sides were level at the break.

Bell made a double change at the break, with Charlie Kirk and Shilow Tracey replacing Lewis Billington and Aaron Rowe, as Crewe switched to 4-2-4.

Baker-Richardson headed over and Josh Austerfield saw a shot deflected wide as the game opened up.

On the hour mark, Rio Adebisi sent in a super cross and Baker-Richardson was unlucky to see his flicked header come off the underside of the bar and bounce to safety.

Tracey played a one-two with Cooney and steamed toward goal, only to be denied by keeper James Belshaw.

Adebisi fired just wide after good play down the right by Elliott Nevitt, and Tracey saw a shot blocked in the closing stages.

And with virtually the last kick of the game, Kirk leathered a strike on target and Belshaw produced a superb save to tip it over the bar.

Crewe (3-5-2): Davies; Billington, Turns, Demetriou; Rowe, Offord (Cooney, 29), Austerfield, Holicek, Adebisi; Baker-Richardson, Nevitt.

Subs not used: Westwood, Leigh, Agius.

Booked:

Harrogate (4-2-3-1): Belshaw; Abu, O’Connor, Gibson, Foulds; Cornelius (Falkington, 65), Dooley (Sutton, 64); Thomson (March, 83), Daly, Odoh (Sivi, 74); Muldoon.   

Subs not used: Mitchell, Burrell, Bloxham.

Booked: Cornelius, Abu

Referee: D Rock

Attendance: 4,421 (147).