City to get back on track?

City have a tough opener in the Carling Cup at League 1 Crewe Alexandra tonight, a match they could do with winning.

Vital Quotes:

Phil Brown admitted things hadn’t gone as he would have wished on Saturday in todays Hull Daily Mail:
‘We could and should have won the game but we didn’t.’
‘The wheels haven’t come off by any stretch of the imagination but what I will stress is that I want my players to be hurting as much as I am hurting.’
‘It bothered me that we were weak in the heart of the defence and although I can’t guarantee that will never happen again, I want us to be strong enough mentally to dust ourselves down and get on with it.’

Crewe Alexandra Team News:

Crewe will miss Nick Maynard after unfortunately breaking his leg on Saturday, Tom Pope will likely be his replacement. Michael O’Connor is still not back from his hernia operation and Ryan Lowe is still recovering from achilles trouble.
Otherwise the team is likely to remain unchanged.

Player to watch: Billy Jones

On Saturday, Jones terrorised the Brighton back four with his teasing crosses and corners, and will no doubt try and cause City all kinds of problems.

Hull City Team News:

Wayne Brown is expected to be given a start against the Railwaymen, and in some quarters a recall for Michael Turner is being touted. There’s talk also of Stephen McPhee and Michael Bridges being offered the chance to stake a place for Saturdays trip to Coventry and the Ricoh Arena.
Bryan Hughes’ back strain from Saturday will prevent him taking his place in the heart of the City midfield.

Player to watch: Steve McPhee/Michael Bridges

Both these players will have points to prove and will want to put themselves in the reckoning for a first team place.

Match Facts & Stats

All games
Played: 39
Won: 22
Drawn: 7
>Lost: 10
Goals For: 77
Goals Against: 49

Games at Crewe
Played: 19
Won: 8
Drawn: 4
Lost: 7
Goals For: 32
>Goals Against: 27

Cup games
Played: 5
Won: 2
Drawn: 1
Lost: 2
Goals For: 8
Goals Against: 9

Last Cup meeting
07/12/1996 FAC 2nd rnd
City 1 Crewe Alexandra 5
Joyce.
Attn: 3,756

Highest Att.: 38,089 on 16/04/1949
Div 3 (N): City 5 Crewe Alexandra 1
Burbanks, Jensen 2, Moore 2

Lowest Att.: 1,404 on 17/12/1982
Div 4: Crewe Alexandra 0 City 3
Marwood 2, Mutrie.

Average Att.: 7,680
Aggregate Att.: 299,531

Last 5 matches
31/10/1995; Div 2; Crewe Alexandra 1 City 0; 3,609
13/04/1996; Div 2; City 1 Crewe Alexandra 2; Gordon; 3,497
07/12/1996; FAC 2; City 1 Crewe Alexandra 5; Joyce; 3,756
26/12/2005; LC; Crewe Alexandra 2 City 2; Fagan, Paynter; 7,942
18/03/2006; LC; City 1 Crewe Alexandra 0; Green; 21,163

Ref Watch:

P Miller (Bedfordshire)
Assistants: S Castle, P Graham

This is Mr Miller’s second season on the Football League list after being on the Conference list for a couple of seasons. Mr Miller was the referee in charge of City’s catastrophic (for Phil Parkinson) 5-1 defeat at Colchester Utd last season.

This is his first visit to Gresty Road.

Match Prediction:

I think this could well go to extra time. Crewe’s fine win on Saturday plus City changed line-up will even it up.

City 2 Crewe 1 AET

Next Fixtures:

Coventry City
at The Ricoh Arena
Saturday 18th August
3 pm.