French defender off with illness but Duggy back training now

Defender Thierry Audel is the latest Crewe Alexandra player to be struck down by a virus. The Frenchman has missed training following the illness and he joins the likes of Adam Dugdale, Jon Guthrie, Anthony Grant, Lee Molyneux and members of the backroom staff, who have been hit by the bug over the last couple of weeks. There are no plans to shut the club’s training ground complex.

Dugdale has successfully returned to training now and would have started at the MK Dons if he had been well enough. In the end, Dugdale was ruled out on the morning of the game and Audel retained his place in Milton Keynes following his encouraging performance days earlier at Yeovil.

Steve Davis told the club’s official web-site: “Duggy trained yesterday and seems fine again. He would have played on Saturday but when he arrived he was pale and we sent him home. 

“We have had a bit of a virus around the place and it has affected a certain number of players and members of the staff. 

“It has usually lasts for a few days and we haven’t made a big issue of it. For example Anthony was sick at half-time at Yeovil but continued and now Thierry is off with it.

“We wouldn’t consider shutting the training ground. I know Aston Villa have done that recently, as I think we are over the worst of it now.”