Millwall..4 Crewe..3

CREWE'S gutsy comeback went without reward as a seven-goal thriller plunged them closer to the drop.

Ben May converted a late dubious penalty to break Alex hearts and maybe their resolve as League One looms after 17 games now without a win.

Dead and buried at 3-0 down before the hour, Dario Gradi's side came close to something special with a stirring fight at the New Den, last Saturday.

Kenny Lunt, Steve Jones and Luke Varney were on target as more than a point appeared possible until player-boss Dennis Wise went down in the area on 85 minutes.

Proof if ever that Crewe aren't getting any breaks at the moment.

But yet again they also proved instrumental in their own downfall, giving themselves an even bigger mountain to climb before launching an all-heart assault to try to save the day.

Now just one point away from the relegation zone, it's difficult to gauge just what this result will do mentally.

Obviously, they've got to try and take positives - it's the first time they've scored more than one since that noose of Dean Ashton's January departure.

Crewe need more of the same fight to make sure they don't drop in May.

Andy White was brought in to beef up the attack with Gradi opting for a 4-3-3 that started encouragingly as the 6ft 4ins striker shot wide while Neil Sorvel and David Vaughan went close from set-pieces.

May missed a sitter from David Livermore's cross while Peter Sweeney was also well off target in end-to-end action.

But Crewe were on the back foot when Barry Hayles picked up Sweeney's hold-up and smashed it into the net on 27 minutes.

Ben Williams made a fine stop to keep them in it while Varney almost had it level, rattling the woodwork with a fine effort in first-half injury-time.

Millwall looked set to breeze three points as they punished the Alex's sloppy second-half start with two goals in a minute.

Matthew Lawrence made mincemeat of the defence, setting up Marvin Elliot for a close-range finish and seconds later it was 3-0 as Jody Morris netted a classy assist from Hayles on 50 minutes.

Instead of wilting, Crewe responded in amazing fashion.

Lunt initiated the comeback, slotting home a 61st minute penalty after Paul Robinson's rash challenge on Vaughan proved clear-cut.

Varney and Jones both had chances as the Alex poured forward at every opportunity with the latter bagging a superb second.

Lunt's precision pass over the defence picked out Jonah who took it on his chest before drilling it into the roof of the net.

The turnaround was remarkable with chances galore before Varney leaped to head home Anthony Tonkin's long looping cross on 81 minutes.

Wise had brought himself on in a triple substitution to stop the rot just beforehand and ultimately had the final say, winning a contentious spot kick.

The diminutive manager was revelling in his history with Lunt and went down under a challenge from Crewe's skipper well inside the area.

There was no hesitation from the ref and May stepped up to end Alex hopes of a miraculous result.

Crewe: Williams, Moses, Tonkin, McCready, Murdock, Sorvel, Lunt, Vaughan, S Jones, White, Varney.

Subs not used: Tomlinson, Walker, Moss, Cochrane, Higdon.

Attendance - 10,767

Guardian man-of-the-match - Steve Jones : Promising display from probably THE key man in the run-in