David Artell revealed that winger Charlie Kirk was not risked against Shrewsbury Town after complaining of a tight hamstring following the 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Saturday. Kirk was on target for the Alex on the day, but later had to be replaced by Daniel Powell with just over 10 minutes remaining.

He was withdrawn as a precaution after ‘feeling his hamstring’ and although he was named on the substitutes’ bench last night at the New Meadow, it was unlikely that he would have been used in the 1-0 win.

Crewe will assess the 23-year-old before deciding if he is fit enough to travel to Peterborough this weekend. Kirk, has scored six goals from his 31 appearances this season.

Artell told the club’s official website: “It is that time of the year when you are going to get those knocks, bumps and pulls, especially with the incessant number of fixtures we have had.

“Kirky was on the bench but we didn’t want to risk him because he has a tight hamstring stemming from Saturday.

“We will have to see how he is. I will be glad when we have that little break of no mid-week games for a few weeks and we can have a few Saturday-to-Saturday weeks, to allow the players a bit more time to recover.”