DAVE Artell says he has not given up hope of Crewe pulling off a great escape – although games are running out for the bottom club in League One.

The Alex are eight points adrift of safety with only eight fixtures left. But with an inferior goal difference, realistically, they will need to make up a nine-point gap on the fifth and sixth bottom clubs, AFC Wimbledon and Fleetwood, respectively.

It appears a mighty task bearing in mind Crewe's midweek defeat at the hands of second-placed Wigan (0-2) was their 11th in the last 12 games.

Yet the form of their rivals has been woeful too and having cut the points defecit from 10 to eight with a February 26 win at Cheltenham, it has not grown since despite a run of four defeats.

Crewe host 11th-placed Bolton on Saturday (K.O 3pm), which looks a less onerous assignment than recent games. The March 26 trip to MK Dons is off because of the hosts' international call-ups, so after the Trotters' clash they face three games the outcome of which will probably determine their fate.

A maximum point haul from home games against Fleetwood and AFC Wimbledon, book ended by a journey to second-bottom Doncaster, could yet alter the course of a dreadful campaign at the eleventh hour.

"We are not going to play Sunderland and Wigan every week. If we win our remaining games we will stay up, but we will concentrate on ourselves and not the other clubs," said Artell.

"There is still time and if we put a little run together we still have a great chance."

And the Crewe manager added: "It's vital that we stick together. I stood at the bottom of the tunnel on Tuesday night and I looked at the players coming into the dressing room and not one of them looked like they could have given any more."

January window signing Bassala Sambou was drafted back into the starting XI against Wigan and while the former Fortuna Sittard striker has yet to score in his nine appearances thus far for Crewe, Artell was impressed with his efforts and believes there is more to come from the 24-year-old.

"Bas worked his socks and yes he can improve in certain area but he is prepared to learn and he is similar to a few of the other lads who have come through a completely different path," said Artell.

"He has come to us with a decent pedigree having played at Everton and abroad. Now he has got to understand how he can be effective and on Tuesday night he was trying to do what we were asking of him.

"He is a pest and a nuisance. He came here to score goals and if he carries on running forward and getting into the box he will do."

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Academy scholar Connor O'Riordan's progress since breaking into the senior ranks has been recognised with a call-up to the Republic of Ireland's under-20s development squad for a friendly with Ireland Amatuers, which takes place next Tuesday (March 22) in Dublin.