Crewe Alex - 0 Wolves - 0

DESPERATE Crewe clung on to share the points with wasteful Wolves on Saturday after surviving a torrid second half.

Alex keeper Jason Kearton put in a solid performance to keep the visitors at bay as they blew a hat-full of goalmouth chances.

Carl Robinson should have scored just four minutes after the break when he latched onto a cross from Fernando Gomez, but Kearton stooped quickly to parry away.

Earlier the in-form Aussie had stopped a certain goal when he blocked an effort from an unmarked Robbie Keane.

Skipper Shaun Smith also came to the rescue as Keane again found acres of space and seemed to be in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper until the powerful left-back swooped to clear the ball off his toes.

Mark Rivers then added to Wolves' frustration by clearing a 25-yard Gomez effort off the line.

The first half was a different story as Crewe took the game to the Molineux men, but they had also left their scoring boots at home.

Their first chance came on seven minutes when Jermaine Wright found Rodney Jack in space on the right.

Jack launched a high ball into the box and, under pressure from Steve Anthrobus, keeper Mike Stowell fumbled but held the ball at the second attempt.

Mark McGhee's defence played more like Mr Magoo as they slackened further on 20 minutes and were lucky to escape twice from heavy goalmouth pressure.

First Seth Johnson's header was blocked after Wright's free kick and Jack miscued the follow-up, then seconds later Johnson's cross was volleyed inches over by Phil Charnock.

Their frailties at the back were again exposed when the diminutive Jack wrestled tall full-back Michael Gilkes off the ball to race into the box and fire wide.

But speaking after the game Crewe boss Dario Gradi recognised the visitors' dominance.

"I thought they made more chances than we did and in the second half you would think we were playing our offside trap on the edge of the six-yard box," he said.

"But credit to Wolves, they kept plugging away. They played good football, they worked hard, they passed the ball better than we did and looked more likely to win the game.

"There was only Mark Rivers threatening the goal so unless he was going to score we didn't stand a chance. But a draw is better than losing and that will be good for the players."

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