Stat Attack: Notts County vs. Crewe Alexandra

Notts County’s head-to-head history with Crewe Alexandra dates back to September 1893, when the Magpies faced the Railwaymen at the Alexandra Recreation Ground. The result was a 2-0 win for Notts.

After several further meetings in the late 1890s, the fixture would experience a hiatus of 63 years; between 1896 and 1959, the two teams didn't play each other.

Despite our shared history going back so far, there have only been 40 meetings between the two sides. Notts have the upper hand with 20 wins to 13 defeats, and just seven draws have taken place.

The Alex have been on the receiving end of several thumpings at the hands of the Magpies – in 1894, we beat them 9-1 and 5-1, in 1896 we won 6-0, in 1959 we recorded a 4-1 victory, 1970 brought a 5-1 victory, while last season, a 4-0 scoreline at Meadow Lane brought some light to a gloomy first half of the campaign.

This season, Notts registered a nice 3-0 vistory at Gresty Road back in September, Jake Cassidy netting a brace and Shaun Harrad completing the rout.

The origins of the “Alexandra” moniker in the club name aren’t fully known. Whether they took the name from a hotel, patronised by those connected with the railway works and where they held their meetings, or whether it was after Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married Queen Victoria’s eldest son, later King Edward VII, is open to speculation.

Crewe is synonymous with arguably one of the greatest and most longevous managers in the English game: Dario Gradi. He is the Alex’s very own Sir Alex Ferguson, having managed the club between 1983 and 2011, with the exception of a hiatus between 2007 and 2009 where he nevertheless took the reins on a caretaker basis for a period. He currently manages the Academy. Speaking of which…

Crewe Alexandra’s academy is one of the best and most renowned in the English lower leagues. The Academy is known to stress technical excellence, which accords with the aim to have the first team play attractive, passing football.

Most of the club's achievements in youth development have come from none other than Gradi, and alumni include Geoff Thomas, David Platt, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon, Steve Jones, Rob Jones, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Dean Ashton and David Vaughan.

Impressively, Crewe’s final fixture of the 2012-13 season, a 2-0 win against Walsall, involved a starting XI made up entirely of Academy players.

In 2013, the club won its first-ever major silverware after beating Southend United 2-0 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy final at Wembley.

Crewe are known as the Railwaymen because of the town’s links to the British train network. Crewe station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world.

Nowadays, as well as serving the town of Crewe that has grown near it, it still operates as a major junction on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). It also serves as a major station on the WCML and as a major rail gateway for the North West.

The town of Crewe has an interesting roll call of local legends, including rugby player Mark Cueto, professional BMX racer Shanaze Reade, 1990s heartthrob Adam Rickitt (ask a female friend or relative between the ages of 25 and 30), Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, and Jimmy MacDonald, also known as the voice of Mickey Mouse.

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Mike Edwards is an injury concern for Notts ahead of the visit of Crewe.

A hamstring problem forced the veteran defender to come off after only 12 minutes during the 4-0 defeat at Bristol City last weekend, so he may have to sit it out this Saturday.

Liam Noble is available again after a lengthy suspension, while Kwame Thomas, Billy Daniels and winger Will Hayhurst have joined the club this week, all three players possibly coming into contention against the Railwaymen.

Another recent arrival, Alefe Santos, made his debut from the bench at Ashton Gate and the Brazilian winger, on loan from Derby County, could make his home debut.

Meanwhile, Crewe are keeping their fingers crossed over the availability of Harry Davis and Anthony Grant.

Defender Davis received dental treatment after losing a tooth against Gillingham last weekend while midfielder Grant, who also completed 90 minutes, is a doubt due to a hip problem.

George Ray returns from a three-game suspension while Brad Inman returned to training this week following a virus.

Adam Dugdale is considered over his illness and injury problems now but Ryan Colclough remains out with a pelvis injury.