Name: Crewe Alexandra
Ground: The Alexandra Stadium
Nickname: The Railwaymen
Home Kit: Red

Crewe Alexandra was formed way back in 1877 and was named after Princess Alexandra, who was the wife of Edward VII who was the King of England, from January 1901 to his death in May 1910.

It has been suggested that this name came from the fact that the club was formed in a pub named after the princess.

They played their first match against North Staffs, later that year and the game ended all-square at 1-1.

The club played their first match in the FA Cup seven years later, when they faced Queens Park of Glasgow but they crashed out of the competition at the first attempt, going down 10-0. Just four years later in 1888 they reached the semi-finals of the competition and en route they beat Derby County and Middlesbrough before losing 4-0 to that season's eventual winners Preston North End at Anfield.

The Alex became the founder members of the Football League Second Division in 1892, playing their first match against Burton Swifts on September 3rd but were given a lesson in football going down 7-1.

A year later they turned professional but after just five seasons in the Football League they lost league status. They rejoined the league in 1921 following the formation of Divisions Three North and South. Their first match in Division Three North ended in a 4-1 defeat by Tranmere Rovers.

The club's first honours came in 1936 when they won the Welsh Cup, they retained it the following year before being barred from entering - after all they were an English club.

The nickname of the Railwaymen comes from the town's historical links with the rail industry. The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) chose Crewe as the site for its locomotive works and railway station in the late 1830's. Prior to that Crewe was a village with a population of just 70 residents but by 1871 the population had risen to 40,000.

Another name synonymous with Crewe Alexandra, certainly in recent years is Dario Gradi, who was first appointed as Manager in 1983, when he became the club's 24th Manager. He spent 24-years in charge before standing down in 2007 when his Assistant Steve Holland took the reins. He returned in caretaker charge following Holland's departure a year later and is now back in temporary charge for a second time after Gudjon Thordarson left the club in October. Gradi is so famous around the area there is even a pop group named after him - Dario G who had hits with Sunchyme and the 1998 World Cup song Carnaval De Paris.

The Alexandra Stadium, or Gresty Road as it is so often referred to, has undergone a huge facelift in recent years, to comply with the Taylor Report of 1990. The stadium became all-seater in time for the 1999/2000 season, with a new main stand being officially opened in August 1999, which took the capacity to just over 10,000.

For all the latest news on Crewe Alexandra please click here