Crewe V Bournemouth at The Alexandra Stadium : Match Preview

21 December 2012 14:31
Crewe V Bournemouth - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Osman returns for Railwaymen

Crewe welcome back midfielder Abdul Osman for the npower League One clash against in-form Bournemouth.

Osman was ruled out of last week's last-gasp 1-0 win over struggling Bury due to a knee complaint but is back in contention having resumed training.

Ollie Turton misses out with a thigh problem, while veteran goalkeeper Steve Phillips is sidelined with ankle and shin complaints.

Striker Ajay Leitch-Smith is back in training following an ankle injury of his own and is unlikely to be risked at this stage by boss Steve Davis, who feels the 22-year-old will be like a new arrival when he returns.

"It's like a new signing and it will give us even more competition up front," Davis told Alex's official website.

"Lauri Dalla Valle has come in and done well and Max Clayton is looking very sharp in training.

"Ajay has been out for nine weeks so he'll need to build his fitness up, but it's great to see him back running around in training.

"But at this time of year we have a lot of games in a short space of time and you can't leave yourselves short. It's good to have a lot of options so we can change things if we need to."

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe is likely to turn to Harry Arter to replace influential midfielder Shaun MacDonald with the Welshman ruled out due to a ruptured ankle ligament.

The 22-year-old replaced MacDonald in the victory over Colchester having missed the previous two matches through injury and suspension and is likely to deputise against the Railwaymen.

Howe has other central midfield options including Joe Partington and Lorenzo Davids.

But this match comes too soon for Richard Hughes, who is back in training after suffering a hamstring injury back in October.

Miles Addison is definitely out with an ankle injury but Shwan Jalal is back in contention again after recovering from a thigh strain. Fellow goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan remains on the sidelines as does Stephen Purches while Charlie Sheringham continues to make progress.

Source: PA