John Bowler says exciting competition is well worth winning for lower league clubs

Crewe Alexandra chairman John Bowler says the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is a competition that gathers real momentum and is well worth trying to reach Wembley for.

The Alex take on Southend United on Sunday in front of a crowd closing in on 40,000 and Bowler says it is a competition the club have respected and taken seriously over many years.

Ahead of Sunday’s Final, the club chairman told crewealex.net: “The Johnstone’s Paint Trophy is a competition that gathers real momentum through the rounds and is well worth taking seriously. We always have done and been close to reaching the final, but never have.

“It is an exciting competition that gathers pace in the later stages. It is difficult at the beginning with the fixture congestion around the league games and in the early rounds it doesn’t attract the gates that perhaps it should, although they do a lot to attract the younger fans.

“It is not going to easy to reach the final in any other competition and Bradford did remarkably well to reach the League Cup Final this year but a lower league club reaching a major final doesn’t happen very often.

“For our players and our supporters to go to Wembley with an attendance of around 40,000 will be terrific. It should be a great occasion and we are going there to win. Wembley is never a nice place to lose and there is that extra edge to it after we managed to get through to the play-off final at the expense of Southend. It should be an exciting game.”