David Artell described his all-action midfield player, Ryan Wintle, as the ‘best player on the pitch’ against Fleetwood Town last night. Wintle opened the scoring with a tidy finish inside the box as Crewe Alexandra held the League One side to a 1-1 draw, only to eventually lose 4-3 on penalties.

David told the club’s official website: “Kenny (Lunt) said to me just before Ryan scored that he thought he was the best player on the pitch and for me he was. He didn’t miss anything. He won his battles when he needed to and read the play defensively as well.

“I think he gave the ball away once on the night and he was outnumbered in there for a start because they played 4-3-3.

“He has to hit that level throughout the season and it is not beyond him. He capped off a fine performance with a really taken goal as well.”