Boss delighted by his players focus as we prepare for first friendly encounter this evening.

Crewe Alexandra manager Steve Davis has praised the work ethic of his players as they prepare for their opening pre-season friendly at Congleton Town this evening (kick-off 7.45pm). The Alex players have been doing double sessions for much of the pre-season so far and Davis is pleased with the increased work load his group have taken on.

Steve Davis admits that the opening friendly games at Congleton this evening and away at Alsager tomorrow (3pm Kick off) are primarily designed to allow the players to get back into the football side of things and improve their match fitness first and foremost.

Steve told the club’s official web-site: “The training has been very good and the group have worked extremely hard. They are very focussed and we have been pleased with them.

“The intensity of the training has been better and because of that they are all pushing each other on. They have been excellent and the standard has been high.

“Our main objective is to make sure we get their fitness levels right but not to push them so hard that some of them pick up unnecessary injuries or muscle strains. It is important that we keep on top of them and make sure we know what the limit is with their bodies.

He added: “I will take two teams to the matches and they will play a half each, so 90 minutes over the two games.”