David Artell praised the performances of his centre-midfielders, Ryan Wintle and James Jones, after they hit a really consistent level in the 3-2 win over Tranmere Rovers. The Alex boss told the club’s official website that the two central midfielders ran the game, helped limited their genuine chances on our goal and gave Ainley and Kirk the freedom to become the overall match winners from wide areas.

Artell told crewealex.net: “Both James and Ryan have had a tough time of it and have been left out or taken off at certain times, but they both played far above the level on Saturday. They were excellent in central midfield and they had to change their system because they couldn’t cope with our midfield. That was a great compliment to the way they were running things.

“They were good in and out of possession. They were quick to the second balls and were competitive against a good Tranmere side, who never make it easy for you to play against then.

“They got the better of their opposite number and affected the game. Jonah played less of those difficult passes that sometimes get cut out. We saw a real accuracy with his passing and saw flashes of his range of passing when it was on. He made better decisions and it resulted in a more consistent performance.

“The two of them were excellent and there was not a high turnover of possession. The midfield two were terrific and credit to them but it was an all-round good team performance. “