Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell says that he is looking forward to another testing pre-season game against Barrow AFC. The Crewe boss will look to give the majority of his squad more minutes at the home of the National League side.

The Crewe boss said: “It will be a different test against Barrow. I’m sure it will be more physical and will be played at a higher tempo, so we will see how the players react to that. It is still early days but it is a tough place to go, to Barrow.

“I went there as a player with Morecambe and it was a tough game. We have a number of long journeys this season and the rationale behind the trip to Barrow is to make sure that the players get use to travelling for two/three hours and then having to get off the bus and play.

"I know it is a long trip for the fans, but I wanted the players to get used to travelling, eating on the coach and making sure they are ready to play with the longer trips we have coming up this season.”