Full-time: Crewe 1 Rovers 1

Darryl Duffy kept Bristol Rovers' late season play-off bid alive with his eighth goal in 12 games.

On a chilly night in south Cheshire the man from the sunshine island of Trinidad, Dennis Lawrence, threatened to put a real dampener on the Pirates.

But three minutes after the centre half's goal, Duffy followed up after Jo Kuffour's shot hit the post.

Rovers had hoped to claim all three points from one of their games in hand on their top six rivals and so nearly did so but Craig Disley headed Chris Lines' corner against the bar late on.

The Pirates now have successive home games to press their promotion aspirations - but they are against fellow high fliers Peterborough and Stockport County.

Paul Trollope unsurprisingly chose an unchanged side and bench after the weekend's 5-0 routing of Walsall.

Rovers threatened first when Saturday's two-goal hero Aaron Lescott raided down the left and his low cross was blocked for a corner.

The visitors' next corner was headed out to left winger Jeff Hughes who fired in a speculative 25-yarder that dipped late and clipped the crossbar before continuing over with John Ruddy a beaten man.

But Crewe served notice of their own potency form their first set piece. Steven Schumacher swung in a free kick that Steve Phillips couldn't deal with and Julien Baudet poked a shot just too high.

Rovers had the next effort when smart play from Hughes set up Chris Lines but his strike curled

into Ruddy's arms.

Crewe then lost targetman Calvin Zola to a head injury to be replaced by Byron Moore and it was Joel Grant who had the next effort but his shot was dragged well wide of target.

Rovers were looking the better side without creating clear cut chances. Hughes failed to control in a good position, Rickie Lambert had a shot blocked and Duffy tried ambitiously from

30 yards on the angle but only hit the home fans and not the target.

Schumacher had a better sight of goal at the other end but his effort was deflected for a corner before Moore volleyed over.

Crewe thought they had taken the lead on the stroke of halftime when, from a free kick, Marlon Broomes' overhead kick was saved by Phillips for Grant to tap in. However, a linesman's flag signalled offside.

After the break the lively Lines was again to the fore for the Pirates, being teed up by Duffy to shoot over from 25 yards.

The second half could not initially match the first for excitement with Broomes' header wide from a Jones free kick the home side's best early offering.

Lines' free kick was then headed over by Disley before a set piece gave Crewe their opener on 70 minutes.

Jones' deep free kick was fired past Phillips by Donaldson but the ball came back off the bar.

However, Lawrence was on hand to tap into the unguarded net.

Pipe saw yellow for a foul on Jones straight after the restart and was immediatley replaced by Joe Kuffour as Rovers switched to 4-3-3.

And the move paid almost instant dividends as Kuffour turned his man and fired in a low shot that beat Ruddy and bounced back off the far post for Duffy to fire in from am acute angle.

Crewe's lead had lasted barely three minutes.

The hosts almost hit back straight away with an unbelievable goalmouth scramble that featured

shots blocked from Donaldson and Moore before Jones fired a shot that looked to be going wide

until it cannoned back off the poorly positioned referee!

Lines was then inches wide with a 30 yard strike while Hughes tested the palms of Ruddy from a similar distance.

The game had by now caught fire with a great run down the left by Grant giving Moore a golden

chance but he prodded wide from four yards.

Then it was Rovers' turn to miss out as a clever near post run from Disley saw him meet Lines' corner only to head against the bar.

Disley himself then chose to shoot over from long range and it proved to be the last serious effort of a compelling game between two of the division's in-form sides.

Crewe Alexandra (3-4-3): Ruddy; Broomes, Lawrence, Baudet; Brayford, Schumacher, Sigurdsson, Jones; Grant, Zola (Moore 27), Donaldson. Subs not used: Collis, Woodards, O'Donnell, Miller.

Bristol Rovers (4-4-2): Phillips; Green, Anthony, Elliott, Lescott; Pipe, Disley, Lines,

Hughes; Lambert, Duffy. Subs not used: Jacobson, Hinton, Campbell, Kuffour, St Louis-Hamilton.