Crewe Alexandra vs Cheltenham Town. Sky Bet League One.
Mornflake StadiumAttendance5,301.
Saturday 7 August 2021 21:33, UK
Andy Williams punished a defensive mistake as Cheltenham marked their return to Sky Bet League One with a 1-1 draw at Crewe.
The striker made the most of a wayward backpass from defender Donervon Daniels to cancel out Mikael Mandron's opener for the Railwaymen with both goals coming in the first half at Gresty Road.
Williams wasted an early opening after he took down a high pass neatly, but then blazed well over.
Ellis Chapman tested home goalkeeper Dave Richards, while Crewe's first threat came from Mandron who thumped a header over from Josh Lundstram's driven cross.
And it was the same combination which produced Crewe's 28th-minute opener with Lundstram carving out space for Mandron to turn inside the box and find the far corner with a low finish after showing a neat trick to deceive defenders.
But newly-promoted Cheltenham were back on terms five minutes before the break when Daniels arced a backpass from the right of goal which failed to reach stopper Richards and Williams slid in to finish.
After the interval, Richards rescued Crewe by twice thwarting Alfie May, first saving from the striker as he slipped clear on goal. Then when Chris Hussey relayed the rebound back into May's path Richards showed his agility again to keep the effort out.
