The Chronicle

Crewe Alex ended a dismal 2017 with a defeat a Cambridge United on Saturday.

They have finished the year with just 16 wins in 48 league games - just six of them on the road.

And they deserved no better after a lacklustre display which allowed the home side a comfortable victory.

Captain Chris Dagnall scored the goal of the game, but strikes from George Maris, David Amoo and Uche Ikpeazu were more than enough for United.

Defeats for bottom two Forest Green and Barnet mean the gap to the drop zone remains six points, but it was another worrying afternoon for the Railwaymen.

Crewe went into the game on the back of two wins in three, and hoping to record their first back-to-back away successes of the campaign.

They were also bidding to end a run of three straight defeats to the U’s – most latterly Shaun Derry’s men took a 1-0 reverse at Gresty Road in September.

Cambridgeshire News

It was a hard fought second half but they did what they had to do. It could have been very, very uncomfortable but they managed to see it through.

Apart from the first 10 or so minutes when things were a bit dicey, the U’s controlled the game very well.

Game management was a big problem against Notts County but they clearly have learned from that experience. The third goal really killed things off. It was, all things considered, probably the U’s best performance of the season.