- Railwaymen are held on the road
- Baker-Richardson hits ninth of season
- Seven unbeaten in all competitions
Crewe Alexandra had to settle for a share of the spoils after a chilly night at Sutton United.
Courtney Baker-Richardson’s brilliant curler – his ninth of the season - broke the deadlock at Gander Green Lane.
But Louis John scrambled in a leveller to make it all square at the break.
And though Lee Bell’s men bossed the second half and showed real composure and intelligence in their play, they couldn’t find a winner.
To their credit, rock-bottom Sutton battled hard and threw bodies on the line.
Crewe drop to fifth in League Two as a result of the draw, and will now prepare for this weekend’s visit of Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup.
Manager Lee Bell made one change to the side that beat Doncaster at the weekend. Elliott Nevitt was recalled to the starting line-up at the expense of Aaron Rowe, who dropped to the bench.
Sutton, who started in a 4-4-2 with the physical pairing of Lee Angol and Harry Smith leading their attack, found themselves chasing Crewe possession in the early stages.
It opened up for Nevitt on 11 minutes but his side-footed effort was into the gloves of home keeper Steven Arnold.
But he couldn’t keep out Baker-Richardson’s superb opener on 18 minutes. The striker won the ball back high up the pitch and exchanged passes with Nevitt before curling into the far corner from 25 yards.
However, it was 1-1 on 28 minutes when John was able to bundle the ball home following a corner.
Sutton played a percentage game; hitting long and looking to win throws and set-pieces, and they always a posed a potential threat that way.
But the Alex were looking to build move and create chances, and they almost led before the break.
Nevittt saw a shot blocked before Shilow Tracey rattled the bar, following excellent approach play involving Joe White and Rio Adebisi.
Connor O’Riordan screwed a shot just wide soon after the restart, while Angol couldn’t stretch to convert a cross at the other end.
The Alex had strong penalty appeals waved away after Tracey’s driven cross appeared to strike an arm – but they only grew in strength.
Captain Luke Offord stepped into midfield to create an extra man and Conor Thomas ran forward to stretch the home defence as they prompted and probed.
On 83 minutes a rare Sutton counter culminated in an Aidan O’Brien shot that cannoned off the post.
Thomas poked just wide after connecting with a Mickey Demetriou knock-down as the game entered its final few minutes.
Baker-Richardson twice saw strikes blocked from close range as Crewe tried to force a late winner but it wasn’t to be.
Sutton (4-4-2): Arnold; Kizzi, Sowunmi, Jackson, John (O’Brien, 48); Coley, N.Guessan, Clay, Beautyman; Angol (Pereira, 63), Smith.
Subs not used: House, Patrick, Dundas, Fadahunsi.
Booked: Coley, Pereira
Crewe (3-5-2): Davies; O’Riordan, Offord, Demetriou; Cooney, Thomas, White, Adebisi, Tracey; Nevitt (Rowe, 92), Baker-Richardson.
Subs not used: Booth, Colkett, Billington, Kempster-Down, Agius, Robinson.
Booked: Cooney
Referee: John Busby.
Attendance: 2,233 (192)