Crewe boss up for the cup against his hometown club.

Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell believes that our FA Cup tie against Rotherham United this weekend could be a welcome relief from a stuttering league campaign.

The Alex host League One side Rotherham in the first round of the FA Cup and will be aiming to bounce back from two successive defeats to Accrington Stanley and Colchester United. Artell is hoping that a Cup upset could well ignite some lost confidence in his side.

Artell told the clubs official website: “I am fed up of opposition managers saying that we have played well or that they cannot believe we didn’t take anything out of the game. Some of them have even said they cannot believe that they have won the game but they have won.

“We would be fine if we took our chances or defended certain situations better but the fans would say we haven’t done this or that and they are absolutely spot on. We haven’t done it and it cannot carry on the way we are going.

“I would much prefer to be terrible for a few weeks and win those games. There is no point in being the better team and losing the game. We want to build some momentum and win some games. The cup game could allow us to that. It is a one off game and could be a welcome relief from the league.

“I know that if we play to our potential then we are a match for anyone and that includes Rotherham. They were relegated from the Championship last season after struggling and Bolton are in a similar situation this season but we gave it a good go against them in the League Cup. “