David Artell says that the Alex supporters who travelled to Ewood Park on Sunday helped his team lift themselves from 3-0 down to secure a replay next Tuesday. The Alex looked out of sight following a poor opening 20 minutes, but they rallied superbly to take advantage of Blackburn's loss of discipline.

Two red cards and three goals later and the Railwaymen were ready to fight another day. The winners of next week’s replay will now face Championship side Hull City in the New Year.

Artell is now hoping that a good following at Cheltenham this weekend can inspire similar from his team.

The Crewe boss told the official website: “The fans played their part on Sunday at Blackburn. They were understandably as disappointed as we were by the start we made, but they got behind the players and helped us come back. The two corners were at their end of the pitch and they encouraged us to get back into it.

“They made a fantastic amount of noise and it helped with the atmosphere. There was nearly 800 of them and it was a terrific following for a Sunday afternoon. They always help lift the players’ performance levels.

Dave added: “The fans have been brilliant and I hope there will be a fair few at Cheltenham this weekend and they can help us get another result and keep our little run away from home going.”