With the January transfer window in full flow, Crewe Alex manager Dave Artell has been busy adding to his squad.

Joining are 22-year-old midfielder Antony Evans on loan from German side Paderborn to add to recent captures Stephen Walker and Billy Jones on a similar basis.

The Railwaymen dropped a precious two points at home to relegation threatened AFC Wimbledon on Saturday and had they won they would have climbed into a play-off place for the first time this season. while extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches and coming from a goal behind would have pleased the Crewe manager.

Shrewsbury lost twice to Southampton in the FA Cup, and again at Sunderland on Saturday before last night’s match at Burton Albion was called off due to a Covid outbreak at League One’s bottom club.

Aaron Wilbraham has been steering the ship with manager, Steve Cotterill, still recovering from Covid prompting the Town boss to tweet after the Sunderland defeat.

“I wasn’t able to make Saturday, so technically my unbeaten record stays intact which is more than can be said for Aaron,” he joked.

The Shrews may have suffered back-to-back losses – both without scoring a goal – but Cotterill will hope to be back in the dugout in time for Saturday’s home clash with promotion chasing Peterborough United – the first of a sequence of four out of five at the Montgomery Waters Meadow – ahead of a tasty looking derby against Crewe next Tuesday night.

One of Cotterill’s first tasks may well be to find a left back after Charlie Daniels departed for Portsmouth last week.

Wrexham manager Dean Keates felt fatigue was maybe an issue for conceding a last minute goal at Chesterfield on Saturday which denied Wrexham a point.

“We were OK in patches but nowhere near good enough both on the ball and off it,” said the Wrexham boss.

“We conceded possession in midfield and they played right through us to score right at the death. Ultimately, they were more clinical than us and that was the difference.”

King’s Lynn and Eastleigh are lengthy away trips ahead for Wrexham after last night’s home encounter with Halifax.