Match Preview: Sunderland v Crewe Alexandra - all you need to know ahead of kick-off!

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Saturday 12th March 2022

(5th) Sunderland v Crewe Alexandra (24th)

Sky Bet League One

Stadium of Light

Kick-Off: 15:00

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets available via www.safc.com.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage available via www.safc.com to residents outside the UK and Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man only.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

If there was one game you should call a banker in terms of us getting all three points, this should be it. With Crewe rooted to the foot of the table and losing 13 out of the 18 games they have played on the road, we should be confident.

But the visit of Fleetwood Town in midweek to the Stadium of Light is an example that these games are not always as comfortable as you think they should be. The pressure is on us to find a breakthrough this afternoon and changes were required after an abject first half in midweek.

Questions were asked of Alex Neil before kick-off on Tuesday in terms of how any of the positives of previous games on our travels could be translated into domination on home soil, but in the first 45 minutes, it went horribly wrong.

Credit must go to Neil for ringing the changes that were required, but all eyes will be on the performance this afternoon as an expectant crowd will be hoping for an improved display from the one we saw four days ago. The three points will still be the priority however, with Wycombe and Sheffield Wednesday hunting us down with games in hand.

Photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Well, where do we start with Crewe Alexandra and poor David Artell? Where did it all go wrong?

For a start, many of the promising players from the impressive promotion season two years ago, moved on to bigger things, which left Artell a major rebuilding job on his hands, which didn’t quite go to plan even though it looked impressive on paper. Two of his major signings had to retire through injury before a ball was kicked this season, and that pretty much set the tone.

Only one win in the first 15 games meant that Crewe have been rooted to the foot of the table all season and look likely to become one of the first sides in the country to be officially relegated.

David Artell has, however, kept his job in spite of the disastrous season so far and looks to be the man that the Crewe hierarchy believe can fire Crewe back up from League Two next year.

Crewe have never won in Sunderland and have only beaten The Lads once in fourteen attempts, a 3-0 win at Gresty Road back in 2003 via goals from Steve Jones and Dean Ashton, and the odds are stacked up against a away win against The Lads this afternoon.

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League One Form...

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Sunderland Home Form...

Crewe Alexandra Away Form...

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The betting...

It's no surprise that he bookies have us as clear favourites at 1/3 to take maximum points this afternoon, with Crewe priced at a long 8/1 and the draw at 15/4.

A 2-0 win for The Lads is the shortest odds with the bookmakers at 24/5 followed by a less convincing 1-0 Sunderland win at 11/2 and Crewe are a long 18/1 to take the win via the only goal of the game.

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Head to head...

(Home and away in all competitions)

• Sunderland wins: 10
• Draws: 3
• Crewe Alexandra wins: 1
• Sunderland goals: 29
• Crewe Alexandra goals: 12

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Last time we met... at The Stadium of Light

Tuesday 20th October 2020

Sky Bet League One

Sunderland 1-0 Crewe Alexandra

[Offord (OG) 45’]

Sunderland: Burge, McLaughlin, Wright, O’Nien, Gooch (Flanagan), Leadbitter, Power, Scowen (Dobson), Hume, Maguire (O’Brien), Wyke Substitutes not used: Mathews, Diamond, Graham, Grigg

Crewe Alexandra: Jaaskaleinen, Ng, Pickering, Wintle, Beckles, Offord, Murphy, Finney (Ainley), Mandron, Kirk (Porter), Powell (Dale) Substitutes not used: Richards, Johnson, Lowery, Zanzala

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images

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Played for both...

Billy Jones

Jones began his career at Crewe, spending four years at Gresty Road, before moving to Preston in 2007. Three years at Deepdale followed and then three more years were spent at West Bromwich Albion, before he signed for Sunderland on a free transfer in 2014.

The full-back made 96 appearances for The Lads, scoring 3 goals before leaving in 2018 to join Rotherham United. Crewe Alexandra re-signed Jones on-loan last season but he returned to Rotherham early due to injury.

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

Stephen Wright

Wright had two loan spells at Crewe as he was working his way through the ranks at Liverpool across 1999 and 2000. Peter Reid then brought the full-back to Sunderland in a deal worth £1.5 million in 2002 only weeks before he was sacked as manager of Sunderland. He made 105 appearances for Sunderland before he was released in the summer of 2008.

Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

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