Steve Davis backing the kids to surprise one or two
Steve Davis has told the club’s official web-site that he may have one or two surprises up his sleeve when it comes to his team selection tomorrow. The Alex boss has kept his starting line-up for the opening day of the season pretty close to his chest over the course of the pre-season games, handing each member of his squad game time for them to improve fitness levels and impress. The likes of Thierry Audel and Lee Molyneux have been welcomed back into the fold following loan spells with Lincoln and Accrington Stanley last season.
The Crewe boss has also been eager to give his new first-year professionals there chance to stake their claim for a place in the first squad of the season. Defenders Perry NG and James Baillie have played throughout pre-season, 17-year-old winger George Cooper is pressing to be involved after scoring four goals in his last two outings and Callum Saunders hit a hat-trick against Rocester in our final warm up game on Monday.
Midfielder James Jones has also impressed whenever called upon and has shown that he could be the next youngster to be challenging for a central role after the real emergence of Liam Nolan and Ollie Turton last season.
Ahead of the club’s trip to Fleetwood, Steve said: “There might be one or two surprises and one or two of the younger players have not done their chances any harm after their performances in pre-season. I have been impressed and I’m sure some of them will push on and emerge this season.
“It may be the case that one or two of them may be involved tomorrow. For some it could be a first taste of it and I’m sure there will be a few nerves around but it will be a great experience for them.
He added: “The opening game is often a great atmosphere and the games are a bit frantic with all the nervous tension around, but it will be a great experience for some of our younger players to be involved in something like that.”