Crewe Alexandra's slim hopes of mounting a late challenge for the play-offs were swept away with the wind at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road. The Alex quickly fell behind to a Blackpool side determined to hold onto their sixth place in the table with Wes Hoolahan thumping the home side ahead after just 15 minutes.

Simon Grayson's side doubled their advantage via a free-kick from full back Robbie Williams on 57 minutes. His disguised low drive left Ben Williams flat-footed and from that moment on our trip to the seaside resort was on a downer.

Without Luke Varney and Nicky Maynard, we were a little flat in attack but when we did create a decent half chance, we had seemed to have our shooting boots in the dressing room. We had struggled to create a real opening all afternoon. It wasn't until Miller nodded home a McNamee cross in the dying seconds that Crewe had really threatened the Blackpool goal.

The Alsager-based Shaun Miller made his first start for the club after making impressive contributions as a second half substitute against Gillingham and Bristol City of late. As predicted, Dario Gradi is eager to blood some of his young and untried players before the end of the season and a trip to the seaside was the ideal time to hand Miller his chance. Rodney Jack dropped down to the substitutes bench, which not for the first time this season did not contain a reserve goalkeeper.

Loan signing and ultimate trickster Anthony McNamee kept his place on the left hand side of the Alex midfield, with Michael Higdon continuing upfront in the absence of our leading goalscorers' Luke Varney and Nicky Maynard.

Crewe forced the issue in the opening couple of minutes, with Miller showing early signs of confidence when trying to activate a half volley from the edge of the Blackpool penalty area but it struck the back of our former youngster Michael Jackson. From the rebound, McNamee drove a shot towards goal but it was deflected behind for an early corner.

Just six minutes into the game though, it was the home side conjuring up the first real chance of the afternoon. Kiegan Parker's curling effort looked to benefit from a strong wind but it just about flashed past Ben Williams' right hand post. Full-back Robbie Williams then tried his luck from distance but his effort lacked the accuracy to call his namesake into action.

The over eager Miller was then spoken to by the ref for raising his studs to Williams, but credit to the Blackpool defender because he sprung up pretty quickly and did not make a fuss of it. The Crewe debutant got off with an early warning.

After a fairly even beginning to the game, it was Blackpool who took the lead on 15 minutes with a wonderful strike from Wes Hoolahan from the edge of the Crewe box. The Alex will be disappointed not to have cleared the initial danger, but Hoolahan's superb accuracy with the shot gave Ben Williams little chance. Moments later Hoolahan nearly stole in again but this time the onrushing Crewe keeper just about managed to get enough on it to direct the ball away from danger.

It looked as though Crewe had responded to the early set-back in perfect fashion but Ryan Lowe had just strayed offside following an intelligent flick on from Higdon. Lowe finished calmly at the far post, but to be fair to the assistant referee he had raised his flag when Higdon had made the initial contact from McNamee's cross.

Blackpool did look the more likely side to score and they were trying to take full advantage of the wind going in their direction with both David Fox and Hoolahan shooting from a long way out.

On 28 minutes, Paul Rachubka was called into action after a cross from Paul Bignot had been deflected towards his own goal by towering defender Shaun Barker. The Blackpool keeper did well to dive on the danger close to his goal line.

At the end other end, Chris Brandon, who had already scored against us for Huddersfield this season forced Williams into another straight forward save after he had been cleverly set-up by Claus Jorgensen. Crewe were still very much in the game at 1-0 but our shooting had to be a lot more accurate than it was. Ryan Lowe's wayward volley from a McNamee cross summed up our quality in the final third. Higdon was also guilty of not quite getting his angles right from a Lowe corner. Our work-rate and build-up was decent enough, but it was just that final cross, shot or header that was lacking.

Crewe certainly finished the first half a lot stronger than they began it and Higdon was a little unlucky not to apply a firmer touch to a lobbed pass into the box from our captain Neil Cox. The striker didn't quite get enough on it to ask Rachubka any questions. With three minutes left, the Blackpool keeper thanked his covering defender Barker for cutting out a wicked cross from Lowe with little McNamee waiting at the far post for an easy tap-in.

The second period started in almost an identical fashion with Blackpool's Parker again curling a shot just wide of Ben Williams post after he had done exceedingly well down the channel to brush aside the intentions of Billy Jones. Moments later, Brandon shot waywardly wide of the mark after being gifted far too much space inside the Crewe penalty area.

11 minutes after the restart, Baudet's clumsy trip on Jorgensen on the edge of our penalty area gave Blackpool another chance and we were to pay the ultimate price. Robbie Williams came around the wall and his low struck shot went around our wall and past Ben Williams. The Alex keeper didn't see it and didn't move.

In an attempt to get ourselves back into the game, Higdon poked a Lowe cross just wide of the post and the Crewe striker was adamant that his shot had taken a deflection off of a stray Blackpool leg. Miller also tried his luck with a clever little chip, but his effort just lacked the height to trouble the well-positioned Blackpool keeper.

Ryan Lowe was then cautioned for a late tackle and from the resultant free-kick Jorgensen cracked another powerful shot just wide.

McNamee received a bit more of the ball in the second half and after a mazy run in front of the 960 Alex fans; his driven cross just missed Higdon at the far post. Crewe were certainly getting some joy from their on-loan winger, but he just had to pick someone out on a more regular basis to be a real threat.

With just under 20 minutes remaining, an unmarked Andy Morrell had the perfect opportunity to seal the three points there and then but strangely for the Wrexham and Coventry City striker his volley was poor. He had the whole goal to aim at but somehow shot wide. He didn't need telling that it had been a chance.

Dario Gradi used that moment to introduce some fresh legs, with both Tom Pope and Rodney Jack coming on for Lowe and Higdon. Pope was almost immediately in front of the Blackpool goal but his first touch let him down as he tried to bring down a visionary pass from Billy Jones.

Soon after young defender Cavell Coo was also given his league debut for Paul Bignot. Coo's only other appearance had come in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy victory over Rochdale.

Blackpool boss Simon Grayson also gave Keith Southern and Simon Gillett a taste of the action in place of Fox and Brandon. Southern's impact was almost immediate with his fizzing 25 yard shot smacking the foot of the Crewe post. He could not have come any closer to scoring with his first touch.

There was still time though for Scott Vernon to come on for the Seasiders for the hard-working Morrell. Then with time running out, another trick from McNamee gave him the necessary space to dig out a cross and through a body of players there was Miller to nod home his first senior goal. It was a moment he would never forget and it certainly put the Blackpool players and fans on edge for the remaining three minutes of stoppage time. They managed to hold on though and claim all the points.