Dugdale ready to dig deep

Adam Dugdale is ready to rise to the occasion when Crewe host Southend in the first-leg of the npower League Two play-off semi-final on Saturday.

Live television cameras in attendance will be a novel experience for many of Steve Davis squad, a prospect that leaves Dugdale unfazed. "I thrive on big occasions, I love all that," said the 24-year-old defender. "The cameras being there will be a new experience for all the lads as well. Everybody's looking forward to it. It's a great time for the club and everyone should just be enjoying it." Attendances have been on the rise at Gresty Road during the ongoing 16-match unbeaten that propelled Alex into the top seven and Dugdale believes the home faithful could play an important role against the U's. "You can see the fans are loving it," he added. "That gate on Saturday (in the final game of the season against Aldershot) was brilliant and hopefully the fans can stick with us and keep coming to games because they give us that extra boost when we need it."