Colclough completes dream return

Play-off hopefuls Sheffield United appeared to have claimed at least a point when Jason Holt, on loan from Hearts , cancelled-out Lauri Della Valle's first-half opener.

But Crewe substitute Colclough, who has been absent for 16 months due to injury, propelled the visitors to their first ever win at Bramall Lane.

"That goes to show what Ryan can do," Davis said. "He's been out for so long, but now he's shown that he's back.

"It was an exceptional strike. It showed our intent at that stage because it would have been easy to shut-up shop.

"I could have told Ryan to take the ball into the corner, but I don't think he would have listened anyway!

"Instead, he cut inside and it hit the back of the net faster than it left his foot."

Crewe are fighting for survival at the opposite end of the table to the Blades, but Davis said: "It was a great win for us because it was an expected win.

"I think you'd have got pretty long odds on that before the game.

"It's difficult because of the teams that are in it and the teams that are going to be coming down for us.

"But moments like this make you realise why you are in football.

"You get lots of downers, but this was a massive lift."

United had made just one change to the starting XI which had beaten Scunthorpe in midweek with Mark Howard replacing Iain Turner between the posts. Howard has been struggling with a back injury of late but was deemed fit enough to start here.

He was powerless to prevent Dalla Valle opening the scoring after 11 minutes though when the former Finland U nder-21 international seized up Uche Ikpeazu's pass and powered home from close range.

Bramall Lane had all the atmosphere of a dentist's waiting room and, from United's perspective, the football was similarly dull.

Nicky Ajose should have doubled Crewe's lead soon after when Anthony Grant robbed John Brayford of possession, but shot straight at Howard.

United did have the ball in the back of the net midway through the first half, but Ryan Flynn's effort was disallowed for a foul on Crewe goalkeeper Paul Rachubka, who later breathed a sigh of relief when Brayford headed over from Jamie Murphy's corner.

Holt levelled in the 56th minute following an excellent move. Bob Harris worked the ball forward, Murphy crossed and the midfielder controlled it with one foot before producing an angled finish with the other.

Brayford hit the post with a header following a 78th minute corner taken by substitute Ben Davies before Colclough, now recovered from a long-standing hernia problem, pounced for the winner.

United manager Nigel Clough said: "It's incredibly disappointing.

"We came into this on the back of two home wins and, even if we'd have taken seven points out of nine, that would have been a decent return, although it goes without saying we'd always prefer the nine.

"It was a chance for us to put some daylight between ourselves and the chasing pack which, obviously, we haven't done.

"We've got to pick ourselves up and make sure we do that over the next two.

"We were unfortunate with the winning goal because it took a deflection off one of our player's head on the way in and the corner came from a deflection too.

"Even more so because Mark Howard hadn't had an awful lot to do up to that moment."