County can take another big step towards a place in League One on Tuesday night when we take on promotion rivals Crewe Alexandra, in a massive game under the lights at Edgeley Park.

A third win in four league games was secured last time out away at Grimsby, thanks to first-half goals from Antoni Sarcevic, Tanto Olaofe and Lewis Cass in a dominant display from Dave Challinor’s side. Our gap at the top of the table remains four points following Mansfield’s win at Forest Green Rovers, but defeats elsewhere for Wrexham and Barrow on Saturday mean we’re now eight points clear of fourth place with a game in hand still to play.

Those other results meant that Crewe’s 1-0 win over Crawley Town, secured through a goal from Rio Adebisi on the hour mark, moved Lee Bell’s side into the top three for the first time since October. The Railwaymen have bounced back from a disappointing December to put them right back in the mix for automatic promotion, as they look to close the gap on County at the top to just four points.

Tuesday night’s League Two schedule includes matches against in-form Harrogate Town at Mansfield, cellar team Forest Green Rovers at Barrow, Wrexham at Sutton, and high-flying MK Dons at Bradford City against former manager Graham Alexander.

When these two teams last faced off in League Two back in October, it was also first versus third. County turned in one of their best games of the year to win 2-0 at Mornflake Stadium thanks to goals from Tanto Olaofe and Kyle Wootton.

It was a ninth straight league win for the Hatters that night, keeping us two points clear of Notts County at the top of the table, whilst for Crewe a first home defeat of the season saw them slip down to fifth place.

Lee Bell’s impressive young side initially bounced back impressively from that defeat, winning their next three league games against Harrogate Town, Notts County and Doncaster Rovers, as well as knocking League One high-flyers Derby County out of the FA Cup in a First Round Replay.

Their promotion ambitions looked to have hit the brakes over December though, as they finished 2023 outside of the play-off places after a run of six league games without a win, which included defeats to Grimsby, Barrow and Walsall.

The opportunity to start over in the New Year was welcomed by the Railwaymen, who duly took advantage of it by going on a winning streak of four games in a row, including two huge away triumphs over fellow promotion contenders Mansfield and Barrow.

In his first full season in charge, manager Lee Bell has had to cope with the loss of two important players in the previous month: midfielder Joe White, who has returned to parent club Newcastle United, and defender Connor O’Riordan, who was sold to Blackburn Rovers.