Boss admits he had to think long and hard about allowing Shearer to move to Burton

Steve Davis admits he had a difficult decision to make when agreeing to let his reserve goalkeeper Scott Shearer join League Two side Burton Albion on loan in search of first-team football. Shearer has joined the promotion chasing Brewers on loan until the end of the season but it has left the Crewe boss with just one senior goalkeeper at the club.

Shearer started the season in the Crewe team after joining from Rotherham in the summer, but he has found it difficult to displace the in-form Ben Garratt pretty much ever since.

Steve admitted to crewealex.net: “It was a difficult one with Scott because a goalkeeper is difficult to replace. He has also been helping coach Ben as well, so it was a doubly hard decision to make but I understood that Scott wanted to play first team football.

“He is at an age when he wants to be playing most weeks and not have to rely on Under-21 games and reserve matches. Scott was getting frustrated and having been a player myself, I understood that.

“He has found it hard to get into the team because Ben has improved and has been consistently one of our best performers this season.

“I reluctantly agreed for Scott to go out on loan to Burton. I don’t want to bring in another goalkeeper in on loan because that would be a waste of a loan.

He added: “We have one or two options but it would have to be a free transfer or a goalkeeper who is currently unattached and who has the right character to cover and offer competition to Ben.”