CREWE manager Steve Davis believes hard work was the key to his side’s 2-0 victory over Swindon at Gresty Road.

A goal in each half from Nick Powell and Ashley Westwood subjected League Two leaders Town to their second defeat in four games, and Davis reckons the Railwaymen were well-worth their win.

“It was a fantastic effort from the players,” he said.

“We started the game very, very well with a really high tempo and caught them out a little bit.

“They couldn’t really settle into the game. We unsettled them with our pressurising, and then we created three or four really good chances and only managed to put one away unfortunately.

“If we could have put another one away it would have been a little bit more comfortable.”

After the break, Town were much more threatening in the final third, but Davis was delighted with the manner in which his troops coped with the onslaught.

“Second half we knew they would have a spell, it was whether we could stand up to that whenever it came,” he continued.

“Once we got the goal they changed their shape to three centre-halves and five across, which caused some problems for us.

“They got a lot of crosses in, but we dealt with nearly all of those crosses. Just occasionally they got on the end of one or two, which they are going to do with the players that they’ve got.

“They are a powerful side and you have to match that as much as you can, and I thought we matched that in terms of our work rate, I thought we were terrific.”

Despite his delight at the performance, Davis admitted that good fortune had played a part in the result, with Crewe surviving both Simon Ferry and Paul Benson hitting the woodwork in the second period.

“We were a little bit lucky at times,” he said.

“Having said that we dominated the first half, so you could say it was the game of two halves which is the old cliché, but I suppose that’s what it was.”