Ryan Wintle got through 90 minutes against Leeds United’s Under-23’s yesterday and David Artell says that the midfielder is close to a possible first-team return. Wintle was named on the substitutes’ bench for our trip to Carlisle at the weekend, but was unlikely to be risked after his recent involvement against Hull City’s Under-23 and against Runcorn in the Cheshire Senior Cup.

Artell admitted that the former Alsager man was drafted into the squad more to reintroduce him back into the fold.

Artell told crewealex.net: “Ryan got his first 90 minutes under his belt and that is a massive step in the right direction.

“He is getting closer all the time and came through the 90 minutes against Leeds unscathed.

“I included him in the squad on Saturday to bring him back into the fold. Because we were a bit short on numbers, I thought it would benefit his mindset more to get back amongst it after his time out.

Dave added: “He wasn’t really one I was considering to put on the pitch but we were short on numbers with one or two out, so I decided to use the opportunity. “