Boss says fight to get into his plans is red-hot at the moment

David Artell says the omission of Oli Finney from his matchday squad on Saturday is testimony to the strength in depth contained in his Crewe Alexandra squad.

Finney was the unfortunate one to miss out in the 18 and defender Luke Offord had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench as Crewe reverted back to 4-3-3 against Burton Albion.

Offord came on in the second half for the injured Terrell Thomas, as Crewe deservedly won 2-0 against the Brewers.

Artell told the club’s official website: “The strength in depth is good and it is difficult to get into the 18. That is what we want to create.

“Luke and Oli were left out for different reasons. Luke was injured last season with his hamstring, so after 10 games, we just felt he needed a breather. He is fine and when he came on and was needed, he was his usual reliable self.

“It is difficult to predict injuries of course, but we felt it was a chance to give Luke a bit of a rest with a busy start to the season and another busy time coming up.

“Oli was different. He has also come back from injury and he knows what he has to do to get back into the team and stay there. He is a good player and I do not have to worry about Oli.

He added: “There is strength in depth and it has just taken Oli a bit of time to get back to the levels he reached last season when he had scored 8 goals before January. He has been out for a long time and he will get there because we know what a good player he is.”