Boss says Guthrie has to take his opportunity to cement his place in starting line-up

Jon Guthrie returned to the Crewe Alexandra starting line-up for the visit of Sheffield United for the first time since we disappointingly exited the FA Cup to Wycombe Wanderers back in November. Guthrie was named at left-back with Kelvin Mellor dropping out and captain Matt Tootle moving across to his more familiar right-back position.

Guthrie hasn’t quite been able to nail down a regular spot in Steve Davis’ starting XI this season but having been presented with another chance, the Alex boss is hopeful that the former Pewsey Vale defender can take advantage of his opportunity.

Steve added: “Jon had an opportunity earlier in the season and did okay, but wasn't able to play consistently well over a period of games.

“That is the test for him now. Can he maintain the level and do even better? Can he do better going forward and add something to the team? With John it is about being competitive and on Saturday he was and did very well.

“He has to work harder off the pitch as well, for me he should be doing everything he can every day to improve his game. I want to see him back in the afternoon doing the extra work he needs to do.

“It was a good start for him but it is only the start, he has to build on that. It's up to him. 

He added: “Jon has ability, he is steady and his distribution is good. He is big and strong and can give you something in both boxes, so he has a lot of good attributes.”

There is a full interview with Jon Guthrie now on Crewe Alex Player. Why not subscribe now to catch the all-important run-in?