David Artell says that the few senior players we possess in our current squad will have a key role to play as we enter the business end of the season. Crewe need to build on Saturday’s deserved 2-1 win over Cheltenham to give ourselves a fighting chance of escaping the bottom four and the Alex boss says that the experience the like of Chris Porter, Chris Long and Luke Murphy can bring into the dressing room can help the younger ones cope with growing pressures.

Crewe have one of the youngest squads in the entire EFL and at the moment, goalkeeper David Richards is commanding a back three made up of entire Academy graduates and with Josh Lundstram operating in an unfamiliar right wing-back position for him.

Artell told the club’s official website: “We don’t have too many senior players around and we do have one of the youngest squads in the country. If you take Chris Porter out of that at 38 as well, then I would think we do have the youngest.

“That is what this club does and no other club gives their young players an opportunity or pathway like we do.

“We have Ports, Longy and Murphy inside the dressing room. They have been around the game and big clubs and have endless experience. Then we have Trig in goal and Dan Agyei isn’t on the younger side if you like but after that there are not many.

“Offord and Lowery are still relatively young and have played a lot of games but they have only really been here, at the one club and only know one way.

“The senior players we do have had great careers and know what it is about. I am sure a few of them have been in worse situations than this. You only have to remember what Murphy went through at Bolton.

“With our help as well, we will give our younger players all the support, guidance and love they will need in the coming weeks. The pressure isn’t really on us because everyone on the outside if you like thinks we are down, so let them play their game and see if they can produce the goods.”