CREWE boss David Artell reckons Wanderers are “on par with where they should be” ahead of Saturday’s clash.

The Whites are currently 11th in the League One table - 11 points off the top six with eight games still to play.

Artell has been impressed with the Whites in their first season back in League One and is expecting a tough test at the weekend.

“They’ve done ever so well. They might think they should be higher, I don’t know,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.

“They’ve spent a lot of money. I’m sure Ian would tell you it’s not as much as some, I’m sure it isn’t.

“But they’ve still spent a lot of money, relatively speaking, to give themselves the best chance and they are probably on par with where they should be really.

“For their first season back they’re making a good fist of it. We’ve got to make sure that they have an off day and we have a very good day.”

Artell’s men find themselves at the foot of the table, having lost their last four league matches.

The Railwaymen were beaten 2-0 by Wigan in their last outing after goals from Josh Magennis and Will Keane.

When asked what he wanted to see in the remaining games, Artell added: “You want to see the same level of commitment, the same level of effort and the desire to improve.

“And then you hope that what they have shown us in the past, their quality, they show more of that to win games.

“You want to see a bit more invention but you’ve got to temper that with an understanding of where they’re at. That’s really important.”

Wanderers recorded a 2-0 win when the sides met at the UniBol earlier this season, with Josh Sheehan and Amadou Bakayoko getting on the scoresheet.

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