What the press made of the final day defeat

The Sentinel
NERVE wracking, frustrating, nail-biting, it was never likely to be anything else.
The afternoon could have been so comfortable for the Alex, but as they were unable to keep their side of the bargain, an anxious look at scores elsewhere became the course of the afternoon.
They swung in and out of the dropzone throughout the afternoon, but in a late twist of fate, their League One status was secured thanks to wins for Coventry City and Gillingham.
Sunday’s curtain call on the season brought to an end 552 games in League One but for Crewe it relied on just four. Unfortunately, the most important one, their own, couldn’t go their way, but a nervous look at the live league table saw things worked out for them.

The Chronicle
Crewe Alex escaped relegation to League Two by the skin of their teeth despite losing 1-0 to Bradford City in the final game of the 2014-15 season.
Billy Clarke's first-half strike decided a largely forgettable encounter as the Railwaymen laboured in search of the point needed to guarantee safety.
Laura Dalla Valle could have made the afternoon far less painful for Alex supporters but he spurned two golden opportunities as the Alex were left to wait on results elsewhere.
Crewe dropped into the relegation zone twice during the course of the afternoon but in the end the defeats to Crawley and Notts County meant Steve Davis, his players and supporters could celebrate, or perhaps be grateful, for another season in League One.
For the second year running, the Alex went into the final game with the threat of relegation hanging over them. An excellent 3-1 win at Coventry City meant their fate was in their own hands: a point would be enough, while defeat would leave them sweating on results elsewhere.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus
IF THIS was the swansong for the Mark Lawn and Julian Rhodes era, there was little in the way of pomp and ceremony.
The celebrations afterwards were not for the two City owners but Crewe’s League One survival – those fans jigging in delight were thanking their lucky stars for the results elsewhere.
City had signed off with another typically clinical win on the road, secured by a typically assured finish from man-of-the-moment Billy Clarke – his 14th in all.