Crewe: Richards, Offord, Johnson, Lundstram, Adebisi, Lynch, Lowery, Finney, Dale, Linton, Griffiths
Goals: Griffiths (5), Finney (56)
Crewe Alexandra Under 23s were robbed of a victory by an injury time equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Hull City at Reaseheath.
Regan Griffiths scored early to put the Alex ahead at half-time, but Hull struck back after the break only for Oli Finney to restore the Crewe advantage moments later. But as the clock ticked into added time, The Tiger forced the late leveller.
The Alex took the lead as early as the fifth minute, Griffiths finding some room at the back post to steer home from the edge of the six yard box after a low cross came in from the left & other team mates had tried & failed to convert.
But the young Hull City side roared back & forced some chances of their own, Dave Richards twice denying Tom Powell from close range.
Tigers goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright gifted Crewe a chance to extend the lead just after the half hour, passing a sloppy clearance straight to Rio Adebisi who fed inside for Oli Finney to shoot. With the effort heading into the bottom corner, Cartwright redeemed himself with a terrific one-handed save.
Billy Chadwick curled a 36th minute shot inches wide of the far post with Richards beaten & Powell lashed an eight-yard shot over the top as the Tigers continued to search for an equaliser going in the break.
Hull came out the traps flying in the second period and equalised on the 53 minute mark, Keane Lewis-Potter sprinting down the left-hand side with the ball before dancing inside & firing a low strike into the far corner.
But Crewe hit back immediately through Finney, within three minutes in fact. There was some neat build up play to get to the edge of the Hull box & when Finney was played into the box one-on-one, he made no mistake, prodding the ball in low at the near post past Cartwright.
From then on, although Hull huffed & puffed, Crewe looked relatively comfortable. That was until the clock ticked 90 & a cross from left-back Brandon Fleming saw Billy Chadwick get ahead of his man at the near post to glance his header into the far corner to snatch a share of the spoils.
Late disappointment for Alex Morris’ side, but they’re now two unbeaten after last week’s win at Bolton, with Barnsley coming to the Alexandra Park Training Ground next week.