Lee Bell says his players are ‘punching through walls’ and playing through pain to get results for Crewe Alexandra.

The Manager, speaking after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Tranmere Rovers, was full of praise for the efforts and dedication of his men.

He was delighted overall with the performance which led to a fourth straight home league win, and revealed some players took to the field despite not being 100% fit.

“They are all together; they are punching through walls to get going in the right direction,” he said.

“They are top lads and top staff and we are all pushing in the right direction.

“It is brilliant for the players, especially after what happened at Salford. I am happy for them.

“Shilow (Tracey), Longy (Christopher Long), Mickey (Demetriou) and Harvey (Davies) have been absolute warriors.

“They were in for treatment in the morning to get treatment and have injections - absolute warriors.

"It was an excellent performance. The lads played exactly how we set them up to play - on the front foot.”

Goals from Mickey Demetriou and Christopher Long secured the points.

The Alex played against 10 men for most of the second half but Tranmere sat back in a 4-4-1 formation and made it difficult.

Bell added: “The red card dampened down the mood of the game a little bit, in terms of what the crowd’s expectations were and what my expectations were.

“The fans wanted to see more goals and excitement but the players then started to lose their shape.

“I was shouting at them to calm down and keep the ball. You can then play around them like we did at the end of the game.”