Crewe boss reveals compliment from Charlton players after 2-2 Valley draw

Crewe manager David Artell claimed that some of Charlton’s players paid his side the ultimate compliment after last night’s 2-2 draw at The Valley.

Owen Dale netted twice in the second half to deservedly earn them a share of the points.

And his first goal after 67 minutes ended a sustained spell of pressure on the Charlton goal from the start of the second half.

Dale produced another textbook finish in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Artell said: “When you’re losing with a minute to go, you’ll take anything you can get. We were the better team throughout the night. I don’t think anyone can dispute that. It’s the age-old problem that we’ve played well without getting all the points that we should get.

“Their players are saying we’re the best they’ve played down here this season. That’s not the first time we’ve heard that off opposition players at the end of the game.

“Charlton are a very good team, make no bones about it. And they are going to go very, very close – if not be in the play-offs.

“That was a terrific watch. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my team tonight.

“In the first game of the season [against Charlton] we were so naive and so open. A lot of the lads were finding their feet for the first four or five games of the season. You’ve seen the progression we have made. We were comfortably the better team – at times – and got done off a set-piece.

“You have to play that well to score a goal against a good Charlton team. The first goal was the best goal of the game.”