Crewe Alexandra 1 Fleetwood Town 1: Ref rage as controversial goal pegs back Joey Barton’s players

Joey Barton’s side had led 1-0 thanks to Wes Burns’ third of the season, but that advantage was cancelled out when Mika Mandron looked to have used an arm in levelling just after the hour.

Town also had a goal ruled out in the first half and a penalty appeal turned down in the second, while seven yellow cards were shown as tempers frayed.

Though the draw made it four games unbeaten for Fleetwood, against a side now six without defeat in the league, they will feel aggrieved to have been denied an extra two points which would have propelled them towards the play-off places.

After a quiet start to the game, Fleetwood were unlucky not to hit the front on 17 minutes when Danny Andrew’s cross was headed against a post by Burns, the rebound hitting Luke Offord and going for a corner.

That sparked the match into life and both sides went close.

Firstly, Town’s Josh Morris was inches wide when he arrived on the end of a cross, before a sweeping Crewe move teed up Charlie Kirk who saw his low strike cleared off the line by Charlie Mulgrew.

There were four bookings and futile penalty appeals when Town’s Callum Camps took a tumble in a stop-start first half.

There was also controversy five minutes before the break when Fleetwood had a goal ruled out for offside.

Mulgrew looked to have tapped in a Paddy Madden flick-on at the far post, and they protested furiously when the flag was raised with some indication that Mandron had got the last touch.

Oliver Finney should have given the hosts the lead seconds after the restart but he miskicked when Owen Dale found him five yards out.

The deadlock was broken on 49 minutes when Burns, chasing what looked a lost cause, prodded home as Omar Beckles tried to shield the ball back to keeper Will Jaaskelainen.

Burns had a shot blocked by Harry Pickering at point-blank range in a goalmouth scramble but it was 1-1 on 61 minutes.

Beckles’ flick looked to have struck Mandron’s arm before he slid the ball under keeper Jayson Leutwiler but, again, Town’s angry remonstrations were ignored by referee Tom Nield as Crewe celebrated.

Burns had another penalty appeal turned down after a brush with Pickering as the game entered its final quarter, while Andrew fizzed a dead ball inches wide as Jaaskelainen scrambled to cover.

Crewe looked the most likely winners in the final stages with Kirk seeing a good strike deflected wide and a number of corners causing problems.

The hosts could have nicked it in injury time when a ball from the left was not dealt with and eventually bobbled into the grateful arms of Leutwiler on the line.

Crewe Alexandra: Jaaskelainen, Johnson, Offord, Beckles, Pickering, Murphy, Wintle, Finney (Lowery 80), Dale (Powell 80), Mandron, Kirk. Subs not used: Porter, Richards, Zanzala, Adebisi.

Fleetwood Town: Leutwiler, Edwards, Connolly, Mulgrew, Andrew, Rossiter, Whelan, Burns (Coutts 74), Camps, Morris (Duffy 74), Madden (Saunders 79). Subs not used: McKay, Cairns, Hill, Rydel.

Referee: Tom Nield.

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