Crewe match previews

Apologies for the lack of my usual preview.

City's likely line up

Margetson, Croft, Collins, Gabbidon, Vidmar, Robinson, Bullock, langley, Whalley, Lee, Earnshaw.

Subs Alexander, Prior, Bonner, Gordon, Campbell.

THEY are the big six questions Lennie Lawrence wants answered before the end of this season.

And the Bluebirds boss has pledged he will use his side's last 10 games of the campaign to get them.

Every fan thinks he or she could pick a better side than the manager.

But between now and early May, most terrace experts WILL, it seems, get the chance to see their favoured formation state its case.

Today though, we can reveal the big six experiments Lawrence has up his sleeve.

Can James Collins add a big, ugly presence at the heart of the back four?

Does Richard Langley's long-term future lie in central midfield?
Full story.

LENNIE LAWRENCE last night spelt out why Cardiff City must not allow their season to just fizzle out.

The Bluebirds' slim hopes of reaching the First Division play-offs were effectively ended on Tuesday night when they lost 3-2 to Reading at Ninian Park.

The defeat left Lawrence's men eight points adrift of sixth place with little chance of closing the gap with just 10 games to go.

But, as he looked ahead to tomorrow's clash at Crewe, Lawrence insisted it could prove disastrous if Cardiff allow their campaign to peter out.

"I'm desperately hoping there won't be an anti-climatic finish to the season," said the City boss.

"The last thing we want is to finish on a flat note. We don't want things to just fizzle out.

"The reason for that is I've now got to have one eye on what happens next season. And what happens more often than not is if you finish one season poorly, you start the next poorly."
Full story.

CREWE'S Gresty Road is hardly the most glamorous ground Cardiff City's players will perform at this season.

But for Bluebirds midfielder Gareth Whalley, tomorrow's visit to face the Railwaymen will be one of the most special fixtures of the campaign.

Because while Whalley will always cherish the Millennium Stadium play-off win against Queens Park Rangers last May, he cannot easily forget the day he captained Crewe to the same feat at Wembley - and then led his side up the famous steps.

"I'll always have fond memories of Crewe," said Whalley.

"After all, they were the first club I played for, I had two spells there and in two promotion-winning teams.

"Nobody expected Crewe to do anything in the play-offs at the end of 1996-97.

"We finished five points behind third-placed Luton Town.

"But we beat them in the semi-final and went to Wembley to play Brentford.
Full story.