David Artell has told the club’s official website that he is mindful of Crewe Alexandra’s discipline record this season. The Alex have already received three red cards this season for Olly Lancashire, Paul Green and Perry Ng in the first 11 league games – but Artell is quick dispel the notion that it is a major problem.

The Crewe boss stresses that picking up yellow and red cards is part of football but he doesn’t want us to be our worst own enemy and lose too many key players through suspension.

Artell told the club’s official website: “I didn’t think there were too many fouls in the game at Cheltenham and we ended up with five yellow cards and Perry was sent off.

“A lot of referees would have let some of those challenges go but he was brandishing cards like Clintons and dishing them out all over the place. You have to accept that is part of the game and it is how you handle it.

“That applies to some of our players and not others, maybe it comes down to experience or their character but we don’t want to be our own worst enemy. We have to understand the situation because there are things now that you cannot get away with things that perhaps you may have done two or three years ago, never mind 10 years ago.

He added: “We are not dirty, far from it and we do not have a loose cannon but we do have a committed team who will stand up for itself a lot more. We have to adapt but if that is our biggest problem then we will take that.”