Crewe: Booth, Fenton, Offord, Johnson, Adebisi, Lynch, Robbins, Griffiths, Heath, Linton, Nicholls (c)
Alex Nicholls captained Crewe Alexandra Under 23s on Saturday as an otherwise youthful side ground out an impressive 0-0 draw at Birmingham City.
Kicking off just two hours before the Alex first team took to the field at Oldham Athletic, Alex Morris took a side packed with under 18s to St Andrews for the U23 PDL2 clash.
The experienced Nicholls skippered the troops - the only player to have had any first team experience - and lead by example as The Alex frustrated their high-flying hosts.
Birmingham did stike the woodwork twice in the second period as the Crewe young-guns rode their luck, but it was a positive experience overall, particularly for the defence and goalkeeper Sam Booth who kept a clean sheet.
The Under 23s have five games remaining this season, with a long trip to Millwall next up on Tuesday 5 March.
Two games remain at home, against Bristol City & Coventry City with both set to be played at the Alexandra Stadium.