WANDERERS may not have played Crewe Alexandra in the FA Cup for more than 50 years but they are certainly no strangers to each other having already played twice this season.

The Railwaymen hold a 2-0 head-to-head advantage having run out 3-0 winners in the Whites’ final pre-season warm-up game back in August then left the UniBol Stadium with a 3-2 victory in the EFL Trophy just nine days later.

Given Crewe’s indifferent start to their League One campaign – they are currently 18th having lost their last three games – manager David Artell, pictured below, will do doubt welcome a return to Bolton as he seeks to complete a hat-trick of wins against Ian Evatt’s side.

However, the Whites are chasing a hat-trick of FA Cup wins over the Gresty Road outfit albeit over a much longer period of time.

It was back in 1896 that Wanderers came away from the Alexandra Recreation Ground, Crewe’s previous home before moving to Gresty Road the following season, as 4-0 winners.

Then a third round tie in 1967 saw Wanderers – then playing in the old Second Division – secure a narrow 1-0 win over Fourth Division Crewe to secure a fourth round clash with Arsenal where they eventually lost 3-0 after a replay.

Back to the modern day and Artell admits there will have to be an improvement from his side who have suffered successive 1-0 defeats to Lincoln City, Ipswich Town and Gillingham.

However, he can take some comfort in the fact that his side created 21 goalscoring chances on Tuesday night against the Gills, something that will not be lost on Evatt and his coaching staff.

“For all the all intent and possession we had on Tuesday night, we didn’t do enough to win the game,” Artell said ahead of tomorrow’s first round tie. “We should have done better with the chances we had, we didn’t test their goalkeeper enough.

“It should have been done and dusted in the first half because we had three or four unbelievable chances and we have to score them. They weren’t particularly difficult chances either.

“If we would have scored one or two of them then we would probably go on to win the game.

“The positive is that we are now creating chances. We are creating good ones in every game but we are not taking enough care with our finishing.

“It is extremely frustrating but I am not overly worried because the players are doing everything they can to turn it around.

“We just have to make sure that we start finding a way to win games and that means being more clinical in front of goal when those chances come.”

There will be some familiar names and faces in the Crewe squad who travel up from Cheshire.

Luke Murphy played 40 games in a two -year stint before leaving the Whites in the summer while keeper Will Jaaskelainen is the son of Wanderers great Jussi.