‘Comeback men’ fire Bell’s unbeaten Crewe into the top three
Thursday 8 October 2026 · By Neil Bramhall
Crewe Alexandra are one of only three League Two sides still unbeaten, and the only one of them to have played nine games. On Saturday 3 October they finally turned a long run of draws into a statement win. Jack Lankester scored twice in the first 21 minutes and substitute Jordan Gibson added a third as Lee Bell’s side beat Bristol Rovers 3–1 at the Mornflake Stadium and climbed to third.
The start could hardly have been better. Lankester curled in the opener inside the first minute after a pass from Joel Tabiner, then scored from the penalty spot after Alfie Kilgour was penalised for a push at a corner. Gibson added a neat third on 66 minutes from Josh March’s cross-field pass. Bobby Kamwa’s stoppage-time goal for Rovers, struck from inside his own half, cost Crewe a clean sheet but did not change the result.
For Bell, the story was the two players who had missed so much football. Lankester was limited to four starts last season, and Tabiner missed the whole campaign after knee surgery. “Jack has missed 18 months of football and Joel has missed so much football, so they’re getting up to speed at the moment,” Bell said, as reported by the Press Association. “But when they do we will be a very decent team.”
He was pleased for Gibson as well. “Jordan Gibson and Charlie McNeill are disappointed they’re not playing, so I was pleased for Jordan to score – he’s got a track record of scoring,” Bell said. “I believe we’re going to get better as the season goes on.”
The numbers back up that steady progress. Three wins and six draws give Crewe 15 points, level with Barnet, Cheltenham and Bristol Rovers and one behind leaders Salford. Only Walsall and Exeter have conceded fewer than Crewe’s seven goals. Until Saturday their last five league games had all been draws, so the win felt like a breakthrough.
Tuesday’s EFL Trophy tie with Blackpool showed where the club’s future may come from. Bell started 16-year-old striker Joel Ewusi and 17-year-old centre-back Tom Graves, and gave debuts from the bench to Noah Bell and Ryan Chadwick, both 17. Sheffield Wednesday loanee McNeill scored his first goal for the club to make it 2–2, but Blackpool won the shootout 4–2. “They can’t have that lull after such a high of playing,” Bell told BBC Radio Stoke, urging his youngsters to keep pushing.
He also had a message for McNeill, who has started only twice in the league. “He’s going to get his opportunity and he’s definitely going to score goals for us,” Bell said.
Next up is a trip to struggling Swindon on Saturday 10 October (12:30). Rochdale visit on 17 October, then Crewe go to Exeter on Tuesday 20 October and Chesterfield on 24 October before hosting Barnet on 31 October. It is a demanding run, but Crewe go into it with confidence.
Mornflake Stadium on Gresty Road has been Crewe Alexandra’s home since 1906. Visiting supporters will know it as a compact, all-seater Football League ground of about 10,100, rebuilt stand by stand through the 1990s. The nickname “the Railwaymen” is no marketing flourish: Crewe station sits a five-minute walk away, and you can often see the floodlights as you leave the platforms.
Away fans are allocated the Whitby Morrison Ice Cream Van Stand, the covered single-tier along the northern touchline. Capacity is around 1,680, with space for a handful of wheelchair users and carers. It runs the length of the pitch rather than behind a goal, so you watch the play side-on. Roof supports can interrupt the view in some rows; if the allocation is not full you can usually shift a few seats. Lower rows can catch rain. Crewe have been praised in the EFL’s Away Fan Experience campaign, which is reflected in generally well-run stewarding rather than luxury fittings.
Typical visiting prices in recent seasons have been around £28 for adults, £22 for over-65s and 17–19s, £13.50 for 12–16s and £1 for under-11s who must be with an adult. Carers are usually free. Buy through your own club at least three weeks ahead when possible. An away ticket office by the away turnstiles usually opens from midday on Saturdays and from 5pm on evening games, taking cash and card at the same prices. Turnstiles open an hour before kick-off; tickets are single-scan barcodes.
By rail, turn left from Crewe station, take the second left onto Gresty Road, and the ground is a short walk on your left. By car use M6 junction 16, then the A500 and A5020 towards Crewe station. Sat-nav postcode is CW2 6EB. A 564-space pay-and-display car park sits opposite the Boughey Stand and is first-come, first-served (recently quoted at about £5–£6). Many away drivers use the industrial estate off Weston Road, about a ten-minute walk. Watch matchday restrictions on nearby streets.
Pubs that routinely welcome visiting fans include the Corner Bar at the Royal Hotel, the Cheshire Inn and the Brunswick on or near Nantwich Road, plus the Brocklebank (Brewers Fayre) if you park on Weston Road. Takeaways line Nantwich Road; Bennie’s chippy opposite the home ticket office is a local favourite. Inside the away stand expect pies, burgers, hot dogs and hot drinks. Flags are allowed if they do not block gangways or signs.
The diagram above is schematic but close to the real proportions. The Boughey Stand on the south side is the giant: more than half the ground, with offices, changing rooms, shop, ticket office and hospitality. Opposite, your stand is much shallower. Goals sit in front of the two small ends: the KPI Recruiting Stand (Gresty Road End) to the west, home of the loudest Crewe support, and the smaller Family / Railway End to the east. That is why an away view is along the pitch, not behind a net.
Arrive early if you want a pint and a seat without a pillar. The walk from the station is the easiest arrival in the division. Treat the ground as a proper old Football League yard rather than a bowl, keep an eye on the weather in the lower rows, and you will understand why plenty of travelling support leaves Gresty Road in a decent mood even when the result does not.