Ice cold in Alex Crewe Alexandra v Darlington Coca-Cola League Two Saturday 23rd January 2010, 3pm Man to watch . Full match previews on the D@rlo Uncovered website. Away fans are given the 1,680-seater Blue Bell BMW Stand along one side of the ground. Tickets have to be bought from a booth outside the ground. Ticket prices (2008-2009) were adult £19; 12-16 years £8.50; under 11's £4.50; OAPs and disabled £15

Crewe Alexandra: Alexandra Stadium, Gresty Road, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 6EB Tel: (01270) 213 014 History: Formed in 1877 out of a cricket club, the name Alexandra is thought to have derived from the name of the then Prince of Wales' wife, later Queen Alexandra. As founder members of Division Two in 1892, they lost their first league match 7-1 to Burton Swifts. Having joined the Third Division North in 1921, Alex have spent most of their history in the bottom. From 1955 they went 56 away games without a win. In 1960, the FA Cup tie with Spurs saw a record crowd for the 2-2 home game and a record 13-2 defeat in the replay at White Hart Lane, but the following year, Crewe beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It took until 1963 for the first promotion to be earned. The astonishing tenure of 24 years as manager under Dario Gradi from 1983 saw the club become a model for producing young talent, sometimes rejected by bigger north west clubs, who went on to big careers. They also flirted with the Championship for a couple of recent seasons, before settling back into League One. Gradi remains a director and technical director. Crewe were relegated to the bottom division for the first time in 15 years, after a late dip in form and results under ex-Stoke manager Gudjon Thordarson. Record Attendance: 20,000 v Spurs FA Cup 4, Jan 1960. Capacity: 10,000 Last season: 22nd (relegated) Honours: League 1 runners-up 2002-2003, and play-off winners 1996-97 Record victory: 8-0 v Rotherham Utd Div 3N, Oct 1932 Defeat: 2-13 v Spurs, FA Cup 4 replay, 1960 Nickname: The Railwaymen Colours: Red and white Manager: Gudjon Thordarson Chairman: John Bowler Players in: Players out: George Abbey, Eugen Bopp, Colin Daniel Famous fans/players/connections: David Platt, Robbie Savage, Dean Ashton, Bruce Grobbelaar, Rob Hulse, Neil Lennon, Geoff Thomas, Danny Murphy, Herbert Swindell - record goalscorer (players), Craig Hignett (also Darlo), Michael Crawford (fan, apparently) Click for Streetmap of ground

From North: Exit the M6 at junction 17 and take the A534 Crewe Road. At the roundabout follow signs for Chester into Nantwich Road, a left turn will take you into Gresty Road. Parking: You can park on the industrial estate just off Weston Road, which is 10 minutes walk from the ground - down to the roundabout, left turn and past the station. Abbey Taxis 01270 212125 Bee Line Taxis 01270 656461 D&D Taxis 01270 251141 Darlington FC Supporters Club Coach TBC. Contact: 01325 243911. See Supporters' Club website for more details. Payment for each coach trip must be either paid for in full before travel, or a 50% non-refundable deposit paid in advance. Anyone wishing to travel on the coaches must join before the day of travel

A short walk to the ground - turn left out of the station and you can't miss it. Trains:

Real ale The Borough Arms, 33-35 Earle Street Known as a welcoming real ale bar with a changing choice of around nine beers (such as Oakham and Copper Dragon), seven draft lagers and 100 continental bottled beers. The pub crucially boasts its own range of ales from its micro-brewery on the premises. No juke boxes or fruit machines is a promise. It also has a beer garden. CAMRA recommended. Open from 12 noon. The British Lion, 58 Nantwich Road A popular real ale pub, with a range including micro breweries. A short walk to Gresty Road, so this gets busy on match days.

Near the ground The Royal Hotel, 7 Nantwich Road. This red-bricked hotel is 100 yards (left) from the station and has two bars - the Corner Bar and Clancy's, an Irish-themed bar/club which caters for away fans. The hotel also has 35 rooms, if staying over (from about £48 per room per night). Sky Sports. Brocklebank, Weston Road, Crewe, CW1 6FX A Brewer's Fayre pub-restaurant, which is popular with away supporters. Beers include Marston's Pedigree. Sky Sports screen. Parking available for £1 or off your bill if you eat. Open from 11am, food from 11.30am. .

Naturally, for those so inclined, train-spotting comes to mind - Crewe being one of Britain's biggest stations, with 12 platforms. Its history as a true railway town dates back to the 1830s, before Crewe as a town grew around the railway and railway works. Puffer buffers can call in at the Crewe Heritage Centre, formerly the RailwayAge museum. It has the Advanced Passenger Train, working signal boxes and minature railway. It's near a Tesco store, off Vernon Way, a 20 minute walk from the station, but check for opening times as it's shut in the winter. The town also used to be famous for its Rolls-Royce factory, which sadly closed. Bill Bryson called it the "armpit of Cheshire" in one of his books. Crewe itself has the splendid looking Lyceum Theatre There is a Tourism website, while the Tourist Information Office is on (01270) 610983 There is an old accommodation list to download, while there is the Crewe Arms Hotel (01270 213204, opposite railway station, £60 per room) and Ramada Crewe (Macon Way, close to the station/ground) for larger central hotels. Map of Crewe Town Centre with car parks Rail timetables Virgin Trains GNER National Express Online map Hotels/B&Bs Cheshire East council/ Crewe Guardian, Welcome To Crewe and Nantwich Surfing there... The Official CreweAlex.net site Next away matches: Cheltenham Town (Sat 30th January, 3pm) No responsibility is taken for accuracy, if in doubt check before travelling. © DAFTS 2009 Anything worth adding? Please e-mail us any suggestions. Back to index page If you'd like to be e-mailed a regular bulletin with the latest updates on this site - including details of DAFTS members known to be travelling then E-mail DAFTS