Alex boss Steve Davis praises side after 1-0 win over Stanley

Crewe Alexandra boss Steve Davis was pleased with a second win of the season and progression in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy thanks to a 1-0 win and a first clean-sheet of the season. A close range header from Chuks Aneke from a Matt Tootle cross finally broke down Accrington's resolved with 11 minutes left on the clock.

The boss told crewealex.net: "I suppose there would be some fans coming to the game expecting us to win four or five nil, but football is not like that. They set-up very deep and had come to make things difficult for us and to their credit they were doing that in the first half. They were giving us some space in the wide areas but we were not creating many chances. I think Chuks had the best chance when the ball dropped to him from a corner, but I thought the more the game wore on the more we made our possession count.

"We created better chances and the more they tired, the more gaps appeared and in the end our patience paid off. It can be frustrating to watch but you have got to remain patient in games like this. You have to keep your concentration at the back and not get caught out on the counter attack.

"We put Vadaine on to give us some aerial presence and we got some crosses into the box. It is not like us to have a taller striker up there but it paid off. Tootle has put in a quality cross and Chuks got in there. Our patience paid off in the end, and I am pleased we deservedly won the game and kept a clean-sheet."