Soccer
Lee Bell knows winning is all that matters after Crewe battle past Accrington
Crewe manager Lee Bell knows victory is all that matters after they secured a late Carabao Cup win over Accrington.
A perfectly-executed header from academy product Luca Moore edged the hosts past John Doolan’s men, who had dragged themselves level just past the hour courtesy of captain Farrend Rawson’s close-range finish.
Jack Lankester’s early, penalty following a foul on Josh March, had given Crewe the early lead.
Moore settled the tie with only five minutes remaining, guiding home Lewis Billington’s centre.
Bell said: “I was really pleased to go through and I thought we played some really exciting stuff in the first half. Then we just blew up a little bit so the challenge was to get back to that.
“We had a really good intensity, terrific, to begin with. The only downside was that, before the break, we didn’t get some more goals.
“The key thing, as always, is to get the win. The whole team defended during those moments when they had to and I’ve told the boys they’ve got to enjoy that side of things.”
Doolan, whose side had progressed unbeaten through pre-season, said: “I feel mixed emotions really, to be honest. Because I thought we deserved something out of the game, especially in the second-half.
“The lads knew they didn’t start with the same tempo as they did.
“The lads got more of the ball then and we defended as a team. We were quite happy with that and I told the lads at half-time, we needed to be a bit better with the ball and our decision-making – which we were.”
