David Artell says it is hugely important that his Crewe Alexandra side become harder to beat and score against after shipping too many cheap goals in recent weeks.

Crewe conceded four goals against MK Dons last weekend and were stunned deep into first half stoppage time by Doncaster Rovers after they swung in a cross during a second phase from a corner.

The Railwaymen have kept just four clean-sheets in all competitions this season and just one in League One against Burton Albion.  

Artell is now hoping that a positive performance and win against Swindon in the FA Cup may just provide a spark in our season.

He told us: “We have to become harder to beat as a team and not concede cheap goals. We have let teams back into games by giving away poor goals. We did at 1-1 against the MK Dons and we did it again on Tuesday night.

“I didn’t think Doncaster looked likely to score, other than when we slipped a couple of times from our own free-kick and when the forward got in behind but shot wide.

“We defended our box reasonably well on the night but that one lack of concentration saw them equalise. On the balance of play on Tuesday we should have gone in at half-time ahead but we didn’t because of that.

“When you defend well and do that as a team, it keeps you in games for longer. It happened at Rotherham. They put in about 3 million crosses but we defended them really well and in the last 20 minutes, we dominated and got our reward with Chris Porter’s late penalty.

“We have to be like that every week and become harder to score against. We have to have that belief and carry it forward. We have shown we can do it. We did at Rotherham. We did it at Plymouth and we held Leeds to the last 10 minutes, so it is in there.”