Ajose makes Davis feel chipper

Crewe manager Steve Davis hailed Nicky Ajose's wonder goal after his 10-man side won 2-1 at Oldham.

Ajose, on loan from Leeds, produced a moment of magic in the 86th minute as the Railwaymen achieved a smash-and-grab victory and moved off the bottom of the table. Oldham controlled long spells of the game and had several chances before Crewe defender George Ray was shown a straight red card in the 56th minute for dragging back Jonathan Forte as the striker burst clear. Oldham hit the crossbar through Joseph Mills, but Crewe struck in the 70th minute when Ajose converted a penalty after George Elokobi's foul on Harry Davis. The home side levelled five minutes later, with Elokobi meeting Michael Tidser's corner to bundle the ball in from close range. But Ajose settled the match with a stunning 30-yard chip over goalkeeper Paul Rachubka from close to the right touchline. Davis said: "I spotted the keeper off his line and wondered whether Nicky had seen the same thing. "He obviously had because it was an inch-perfect shot and a great finish from the lad. "I could have taken him off when we went down to 10 men, but I felt he might get us a goal and I'm glad I made that decision. "He can still contribute more to the team with his all-round game, but I'm not complaining after a goal of that nature. "Overall we were second best. I'm always honest about our performances and at half-time the big positive was that we were fortunate to be 0-0. "We rode our luck and on another day we could have been beaten heavily, but this is a very good result for us." Oldham manager Lee Johnson was pleased with his team, even though they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in league and cup. The Latics had conceded 11 goals in their previous two games and Johnson said: "This result feels like a robbery. "We were superb from start to finish and the only stats we didn't dominate were in the goals column. "Everything about us was much better than before because we had runners, we had shots, we had lots of chances and we looked solid as a team. "It's upsetting and disappointing to lose, especially when we had two absolute stone-wall penalties not given, but the boys' reaction and energy were fantastic. "The run we are on is frustrating, but the players have galvanised me. If we play like that in our next 10 games, we will probably win eight of them. "Crewe's second goal was a fantastic finish and it just shows what football can do to you. It's very cruel, but we still aren't far away from the top six and we will keep pushing."