CREWE Alex fans are gearing up for an unorthodox start to the 20/21 season watching online match streams and placing their mugshots on the seats at Gresty Road.

With elite football continuing behind closed doors for the time being EFL clubs are offering streaming passes costing £10 under the iFollow subscription service so that supporters are still able to catch every minute of the action.

Fans have also been invited to sign up to a scheme which places tailor-made cardboard cut outs of their faces on stadia seating. Over 100 have been sold ahead of Crewe's opener on Saturday, a Carabao Cup first round tie with Lincoln City.

Flags have also been put in place at the ground and, as when the Premiership and Championship were restarted in June, the hope is the "props" will provide a stimulating background and make up for the lack of atmosphere while games remain out of bounds for supporters.

Crewe fans can go to the Fans From Home site here to upload a photo or an image (at a cost of £20) for their own cut out.

The Alex are donating 25 per cent of profits earned to the fundraising campaign helping to secure overseas cancer treatment for Wistaston schoolboy Georgy Capener.

The club are reminding fans the deadline to upload cut-out images is 72 hours before matchday and those ordering earliest will get the better spots in the stadium.

When fans are able to return to Gresty Road the club will return the cut outs to their owners, adorned even with the signature of manager Dave Artell.

Unlike the Premier League, all Football League games are available to watch from home via streaming after a deal was struck with broadcaster Sky Sports.

The EFL has described it as a temporary measure that will be subject to regular review, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying on August 1 that fans will be allowed back into stadia in October.

A number of supporter-attended pilot events are being arranged, one of which was the recent friendly between Brighton and Chelsea at The Amex Stadium, to decide when that can be.

Alex season ticket holders will receive free streaming passes for each behind-closed-doors home League One fixture.

If you want to watch Crewe's Lincoln cup tie go here.

Meanwhile, Crewe have revealed homegrown midfielder Oli Finney has penned fresh terms which could keep him at Gresty Road until 2023.

The 22-year-old, who demonstrated an eye for goal during last term's promotion campaign with six goals, has been rewarded with a new and improved three-year contract.

Finney's previous deal had included a one-year extension which was triggered automatically to cover the coming campaign, but the club have now tied down another of their promising assets on a long-term basis.

The Stoke-on-Trent born player made his bow as a substitute against Barnet on the last day of the 2016/17 season and secured experience on loan at Nantwich and Halesowen Town before making his first-team breakthrough during 2018/19.

He featured 24 times last season and in all has made 45 appearances for the club, half from the bench.