Walsall's Charlie Crew: Individual and team consistency is key

Loan youngster Charlie Crew has stressed the need for consistency as Walsall look to continue to mix it near League Two’s summit.

The Saddlers returned to winning ways at Colchester last weekend by bouncing back from a first league defeat of the season in perfect style to climb to third.

Lee Grant’s visitors were forced to work hard by the out-of-sorts U’s, but a late double from leading scorer Aaron Pressley and Courtney Clarke secured the points in Essex.

The victory ended a run of five straight away league draws for Walsall, after boss Grant challenged his side to come up with more complete performances to build winning runs.

On-loan Leeds midfielder Crew, who caught the eye, said: “It's very important. In this league, you can get two wins and you can shoot up the table. It's very close at the moment.

“Coming away from Monday night (defeat against Salford), we knew we had to come here and get a positive result and it was unbelievable to do that.

“It's game by game, it's focusing on one opposition at a time. The day after the Salford game, we came in and it was straight heads on Colchester.

“That's how we're taking every week and every game. I think that's the best way to do it because you can't get too far ahead of yourself and hopefully now we can keep pushing.”

For Elland Road prospect Crew, who only turned 20 in June, it is an important season to sample as many minutes in League Two as possible.

He has already featured in 12 of 13 fixtures in the division for boss Grant this term - six as a starter and six from the bench. The young Welshman completed 89 minutes in the Colchester success.

Crewe made his first-team debut - and so far only senior appearance - for Leeds two years ago this week. He also won a first of two senior Wales caps in 2024.

Two loans at fellow Yorkshire outfit Doncaster have since followed, one each in League Two and League One but last season, in the latter, did not bring the desired game time.

Crew added that a hunt for consistency is as much aimed at himself. He said of recent years: “Just inconsistency within myself really. Inconsistency in performances and inconsistency in the amount of minutes that I was getting.

“That's down to me to change it and hopefully this season I can with hard work and games like this today, going for the full 90 minutes and really showing that I'm consistent in performances in and out of possession.

“It's a great place for that next step, with the belief that the gaffer puts into everyone, but especially me. And that the team-mates around me, it's definitely a place where I feel that I can progress and I'm joining my football a lot.”