Mark's sore ankle could give George Ray another chance

Defender Mark Ellis could be a major doubt for this weekend’s trip to Yeovil Town after being unable to continue for the second half against Swindon Town last night due to an ankle injury. Ellis didn’t re-appear for the second period as Crewe endured a tough night against Kevin MacDonald’s play-off chasing side. Crewe were 3-0 down within the first 25 minutes and ended up losing 4-1 on what was a character building evening for a lot of the Alex youngsters.

George Ray, 19, replaced Ellis at the break and performed admirably in what was only his third appearance for the club. Ellis has been struggling in recent weeks with a sore ankle, and he could miss the trip to Huish Park.

Steve Davis told the club’s official web-site: “Mark has been struggling with a sore ankle for a few games now and played through the pain but it became too much and he had to come off.

“George has gone in again for what was really his second appearance. It is not easy for a young player to go in in that position but he did very well. He was competitive and defended well so that was a positive. I thought George did well in difficult circumstances and credit to him."