Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell has praised the club’s ‘magnificent fans’ and admits that they have every right to be disgruntled at the moment.

The Crewe boss is hoping that his team can give the supporters something to shout about in the FA Cup tomorrow when Blackburn Rovers will be arriving in South Cheshire. The winners of the second round replay have a home fixture against Championship opponents Hull City to look forward to in the New Year.

“The fans have been magnificent all season I have to say. They were great for us on Saturday at Cheltenham as well, ‘said Artell.

“It is up to us to give them something to shout about because we haven’t been doing it enough. We to give them something to cheer tomorrow night and for us to them take that into the league game against Crawley at the weekend.

“They have every right to be disgruntled at the minute and I cannot blame them for that. We certainly need them with us. We need them to stay with us and if they have to vent their anger, then I prefer that to be on me than the players.

“However we need them with us through the game, right up until the final whistle. I think they can see that it is not a lack of effort from any of us but I know that we have got to turn the corner and quickly.

“It is a challenge and a big test for us because we are where we are in the league but we have got to embrace that, roll our sleeves up and make sure we do everything we can to turn it around.”