It doesn't matter whether it's the first team or the under 18's, any derby game is a big day for the players that are involved, and whilst the first team might have to wait until the end of next month for theirs with Port Vale, Crewe Alexandra's under 18's side travel to Stoke City tomorrow for their second derby fixture of the season.

The dressing room never normally needs any encouragement on those days, and in fact it's always like that in the under 18's dressing room, as James Collins told us: "With our boys, we don't have to rev them up for a game, it's normally a case of calming them down! They relish the challenge, but the one thing we have to keep reminding them of, is it's not just about winning the games, although it's nice, it's about playing for that contracts too. Dario see's games they play, and at the end of the day that can be what makes a difference between them getting a contract or not. Results are important to them, but in a way it comes second to the performances, both as a team and an individual."

Earlier in the season, at Reaseheath, the reverse fixture finished 1-1 with Jon Stephens netting for the Alex.

Derby games present an all-new type of game, and knowing what Stoke bring in their game, James admits that it will be a challenge that the boys will have to step up to.

He says: "It's a different type of game when you play a derby game like this. It gives us a different type of test.

"The challenge for us this week is to match them physically and their prowess if you like, Stoke always have that, and to match their energy and really give it our all, it's not always about skill in a game like that."

You can hear more from James Collins on this week's game and many more in our weekly Academy Review on Crewe Alex Player. Click for more information or to join up for as little as £3.99 now.