Boss says young midfielder deserved his late run in the team after injury
Crewe Alexandra boss Steve Davis praised the resurgence of his youngster Ollie Turton as the Altrincham-based midfielder finished a frustrating season strongly and in his side. Turton had to battle back from a knee injury that sustained away at Sheffield United back in October and had to wait patiently for an opportunity following the emergence of fellow Academy graduate Liam Nolan and the loan signing George Evans.
It was a frustrating period in Turton’s career, especially with his contract expiring in the summer but after signing a new deal and battling back from injury, the 21-year-old played a significant role in the closing weeks of the season.
Turton came on at Shrewsbury to tighten up the midfield and protect a lead and then started the games against Bristol City and Preston North End. He ended the season with one goal from his 14 appearances.
Steve Davis told crewealex.net: “It was a frustrating season for Ollie in many ways because he was in the team and doing well when he got injured at Sheffield. He went back to square one and had to battle back to get back into the team.
“He was out of contract in the summer, so I would have imagined that was on his mind as well when he was injured, but we sorted that out and he showed a real determination to get back and finished the season strongly for us.
“Ollie deserved his chance. He had trained consistently well and never let us down when we needed him. We selected him to fit a different system at Bristol City and it paid off and we kept it that way for Preston.
“There is a still debate on what is his best position. I still think he can play right or right wing back whilst he has also played most of his first team games in midfield. He can add goals to his game, he got one away at Oldham, but we know he can score more.
“He get forward reasonably well and has a good shot on him. His finishing is very good in training and I’m sure he will be looking to score a few more next season for us.”