13 August 2022

Alex Morris points finger of blame at Bassala Sambou after Crewe defeat

13 August 2022

Crewe boss Alex Morris says Bassala Sambou must take a share of the blame for his side’s 3-0 defeat at Salford.

The visitors had enjoyed a good start with Daniel Agyei heading a brilliant chance wide after nine minutes.

Salford hit the front in the 17th minute after Conor McAleny finished off a good counter-attack.

But the game changed when Sambou was sent off after grabbing Theo Vassell by the throat during an off-the-ball incident.

Brandon Thomas-Asante doubled Salford’s lead with a powerful finish from just outside the box.

And it was game over three minutes later when Thomas-Asante tapped home Ibou Touray’s pinpoint cross.

Thomas-Asante was denied a hat-trick by Kelvin Mellor’s last-ditch block late on.

“It was a tough afternoon in the end,” said Morris. “We didn’t see what was to come.

“We started bright in the first 15 minutes with our game plan.

“We were in the position where we wanted to be but it was a really poor goal to concede. They had barely been in our half until that point.

“The sending-off changed the complexion of the game and made it 10 times more difficult to navigate against a team who are really good in possession and on a hot day.

“The outcome was that they cruised to victory and we couldn’t get any pressure on the ball.

“We didn’t threaten in the second half and conceded two poor goals to take the game away from us

“Two people are to blame, me as the manager because we have lost and I will take the flak.

“But there is someone else who should take the blame for what has come because he lost his discipline and left us where we didn’t want to be”

Salford boss Neil Wood felt his side had got what they deserved.

“It was a good result, we controlled large periods of the game,” he said.

“It is always difficult when the opposition go down to 10 men and we have learned from the Swindon game as to what we needed to put right.

“We knew we had to keep moving the ball, keep the tempo up, to stretch them and take our chances.

“I think we could have got more goals and been more clinical, but it’s a good result.

“Bolton are a good team and the defeat in midweek was not going to affect our season or derail us.

“We looked really solid defensively and the only thing today that was going to catch us out was sloppiness or lack of concentration.

“I am really pleased with the clean sheet. It is something that we want to keep building on.

“(Brandon) Thomas-Asante has done well today, he has started off the season really well.”

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