Alan Tate targets a better second half of the season from the Alex

The returning Alan Tate believes that Crewe Alexandra is more than equipped to survive in League One this season. The vastly experienced defender re-signed on loan until the end of the season on Monday and he is fit and available for the weekend visit of Gillingham.

Crewe will be looking to leap frog with the Gills with a home win and Tate says that after showing we can compete with some of the top teams in the division, it is important that we pick up points against sides in the bottom half of the table.

Tate, who has signed on until the end of the season from his parent club Swansea City, told Crewe Alex Player: “You can talk about performances but you don't get an extra point for playing well, we need points to stay up. We are halfway through the season now, if we can be 10 or 20% better than we were in the second half we'll be fine.

“There are some good young players here, not one who couldn't come in and play in this league. The manager and the coaches encourage us to express ourselves and with a little more know-how we can be comfortable in this league.

“We have to beat the sides around us. Gillingham are one of those teams and if we can get a positive result it could go a long way to helping us stay in the league.

“Gillingham have a new manager at the helm and it is bound to give them a bit of a boost. Andy (Hessenthaler) is a club legend there and has managed them before so he will know what to expect.

Alan added: “Throughout my career, I have always tried not to worry too much about the opposition and make sure we focus on what we need to do. We are at home and want to get Gillingham on the back foot and that is what we plan to do.”

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