Crewe Alex v Bristol Rovers 26-27 Preview - Under your skin

There is always something deeply unpleasant about playing Steve Evans teams. Games against him leave you feeling dirty and in dire need of a shower. Don't get me wrong, he is a very successful lower league manager, one of the best. But the manner in which he manages teams and how they play football is deeply unpleasant.

It's also funny how his first and most recent visits to Gresty Road went the same way, with Crawley in 2011-12 and Bristol Rovers last season. The Alex start strong, go 1-0 and then antics get an Alex striker(Shaun Miller and Adrien Thibaut) sent off. The Alex kick on to still play well and the best Evans can emerge with is two 1-1 draws. Hopefully the Alex keep 11 men on the pitch in this one. Here is my preview of Evans and the Gas' visit to Gresty Road:

Best Wishes

A little side note, but best wishes are sent to Gas' assistant manager Paul Raynor, who is soon to start a battle with bowel cancer. Whilst I dislike him when it comes to football, I'd never wish anyone poor health. I hope he is successful in beating the cancer and he can be back to full strength soon.

Saturday 3pm

You want a ridiculous stat/fact? This is the first time Bristol Rovers have visited Gresty Road for a Saturday 3pm kick off since 1997. Their previous 6 visits were January 2008(Tuesday 7:45pm), March 2009(Tuesday 7:45pm), April 2012(Easter Monday), January 2021(Tuesday 7:45pm), December 2023(Tuesday 7:45pm) and December 2025(Friday 7:45pm).

For Gas fans, being able to attend this fixture on the train and not getting back home until past midnight will seem like a rare luxury.

Typical Evans

It's no surprise to see Rovers top under Steve Evans. It's also no surprise to see how they are doing it. They rank 23rd in accurate passes and 6th in accurate long balls per game. They don't play attractive or entertaining football, they play effective football. Get it forward quickly, win 2nd balls, force turnovers. The game plan is always the same. There is no mystery to how Evans plays so the game plan to count it should be relatively straight forward.

Travel Sickness

Whats interesting about the Gas is their issues on the road. Whilst they are unbeatable at home, on their travels they've had problems. They do have a 2-0 win over Crawley, but their other 3 away games have resulted in 3 losses, by a 2-8 margin. Ok, those losses were against 2 decent sides in York and Grimsby and an inform at the time Gillingham, but they all count. For whatever reason, consistency on the road has been hard to come by for them so far this season. Will this game be any different?

Rise to the occasion

What were the Alex's 2 best performances of the season, relatively speaking? Probably against Walsall(5th) and York(4th). Well, for only the 3rd time this season, they are playing a side currently sat in the top 7. Every one of the management and players should know what it takes to beat a Steve Evans side and beat a tough Bristol Rovers team. If they think they can rely on poor opposition finishing and a moment of magic/fortune at the other end, they will find out the hard way that they are wrong.

Put simply, they will have to play similarly or better than they did against Walsall and York to get a result here. Hopefully they can rise to the occasion, get a win and it can be the boost they need to get their season started. I don't wan't to see fans reactions to another draw or even worse, a defeat.

Referee Watch

Matthew Russell

Russell is taking charge of his first game in almost a month, having not done one since early September. This is also only his 2nd Crewe game, having overseen their 3-0 home defeat against Swindon last season. Hopefully this game doesn't follow a similar pattern.

2026-27 Record: 3 games(2 League Two, 1 National League), 9 yellows

Last Game: Aldershot Town 1-0 FC Halifax Town, Saturday 5th September 2026, National League, 3 yellows

Crewe Alex Record: 0-0-1, 3 yellows

Injuries/Absences

Crewe Alex

Reece Hutchinson and Mickey Demetriou seem close, with Bell hinting that he might push one to be available for this game, but my guess is both are out.

Bristol Rovers

The Gas will be without Tommy Leigh, who sits out the final game of a 3 match ban. Riley Harbottle and Jack Aitchison are both out after hamstring surgery. Macauley Southam-Hales has also missed games recently, so he too might be out.

Team

Hmm. Assuming neither Demetriou and Hutchinson are fit, it'll be another spin of the "who plays at LB this week" wheel. I'd persist with Ure and keep the back 4 the same. I don't think he's in a position to start just yet, but I'd love to try and get 60 minutes out of Owen Lunt alongside Joe White in midfield. That then would allow Holicek to move further forward and play in the 10.

I'd then shift Tabiner to the right wing, keep Gibson on the left. The rest of the team picks itself. The bench would have options, with Lankester, Thibaut, McNeill, Thomas, Dancey and Moore as players to choose from.

Score Prediction

I predicted a win against Shrewsbury. They drew. I predicted a loss against Rotherham. They drew. So, surely that means if I predict a draw, they won't do so. Right? If I had to lean one way or the other, I would lean defeat, but I'll say it'll end in a draw once again in the hope of reverse jinxing it.

Crewe Alexandra 1-1 Bristol Rovers