Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell is pleased that the goals continue to be shared around the team. Midfielders Ryan Wintle and Oli Finney have both scored late winners recently and the club have had 12 different scorers so far this season.

The Alex boss said that he wasn’t concerned when we went three games without a goal at the end of October and into November.  Two of those 1-0 defeats included a plethora of chances squandered against Ipswich and Gillingham.

Artell told crewealex.net: “I wasn’t overly worried when we went through that short period of not scoring. We created a lot of chances against Gillingham and Ipswich and should have won both games.

“We created enough chances but perhaps didn’t get the rub of the green. Did we do enough maybe not?

“There were a few factors in why that happened but we have scored goals throughout the team and that has to continue.

“We cannot afford a Ivan Toney, who can score 25 goals a season, and I knew that the first day I took the job. We have to have a number of goalscorers. If the front three can score 35-40 goals and the midfielders can chip in with 6-8 goals then that is a good return.

“We have Harry Pickering on four goals already, so if he can double that then that is a terrific return and an unbelievable season for him.”