David Artell has praised the professionalism of Chuma Anene after he stepped into the boots of leading scorer, Chris Porter to front our festive period. Porter was forced off in the first half against Eastleigh in the FA Cup replay with a hamstring injury and Chuma grabbed his opportunity then and there when scoring a brace in a deserved 3-1 that evening.

The powerful Norwegian has continued to lead the line in Porter’s absence and is now just two goals behind our leading marksman in the race to finish as the club’s leading scorer at the end of the season.

Artell told crewealex.net: “Chris had a really good return of goals in the first half of the season. He has ten in just over 20 games and that is terrific.

“Now Chuma has come in and extended that and he has 8 in about 10 starts and that is terrific also. It is a similar ratio and that is what we need. He has stepped up to the plate.

“Chuma is a terrific player and has great character. He is an excellent professional and he has a great work ethic in training.

“He is a great fella and when he wasn’t in the team because of the form of Chris, he wasn’t moaning or groaning that he wasn’t in the team. He said that he was watching and learning and that is a terrific to hear and see for any manager.

He added: “Chuma has set the example of showing what needs to be done when there chance comes along. The players need to be ready and Chuma has been the perfect example of that.”