Young striker Lewis Reilly has the perfect opportunity to show that he is back in the scoring groove after agreeing to join Halesowen Town on a short-term loan deal. Reilly, 19, has been limited to just one substitute appearance at first team level as he has become fifth choice striker behind senior forwards, Jordan Bowery, Chris Porter, Alex Nicholls and Shaun Miller.

Crewe Alexandra boss, David Artell, has permitted Reilly to go on loan to Halesowen for him to gain some valuable competitive action and he has instantly made an impression with a brace on his debut. The Liverpool-born forward scored twice in a 3-2 win over Prescot Cables in the FA Trophy.

David told the club’s official website: “Lewis needed some game time and a chance to play competitive football again.

“He went on loan to Radcliffe last season and he scored a bag full. They wanted to keep him but we wanted him back with us. Now we want to see if he can do something similar at Halesowen.

“Lewis scored two on his debut and even took a penalty. That doesn’t surprise me that he took on the responsibility of taking a penalty in an important game for the club, barely a day after he had been in the place. He is a confident boy.

“I don’t mind that, that speaks volumes of his confidence and belief in his ability to score goals. Hopefully he can get his shooting boots on whilst he is there and come back to us brimming with confidence.”