CREWE Alexandra boss Dario Gradi ran the rule over possible transfer targets at KitKat Crescent last night.

Gradi was among the 2,325 crowd that witnessed York City's 1-0 home defeat to Stevenage Borough although Billy McEwan said afterwards that he had not spoken to the long-serving Crewe manager about any of his players.

Strikers Andy Bishop and Clayton Donaldson would appear the most likely subjects of Gradi's scouting mission but neither player impressed and the Championship chief left before the final whistle.

City boss McEwan said: "We are getting a lot of respect from people in the game now, which is pleasing, and I would have expected a few people to come along because it was a good game for this division."

McEwan expressed his disappointment at last night's result, knowing that a win would have seen his side leapfrog both Stevenage and Hereford in the Conference table.

But he also put that frustration in context with the satisfaction he feels that the club find themselves in their current position at this stage of the season.

He added: "We never set out stall out to get in the play-offs at the start of the season and nobody expected us to be in the position this week, if we are being honest, of having a chance to get back into the top five.

"It shows how things have changed in five months and the progress we have made. The players deserve a lot of credit after being assembled from all over the place.

"They have worked their socks off and brought creditability back to the football club and I'm really, really proud of them."

McEwan's main gripe with last night's display was his team's failure to take chances, while Stevenage clinched victory with their only on-target effort - a 21st-minute Jefferson Louis header.

The City boss said: "My young team put in fantastic effort but we have got to be smarter. We carved open three great chances and, if we had put one of them away, I'm sure we would have won the match.

"The goal we let in was also a soft one and that disappoints me because they did not carve us open with good football."

McEwan also added that a boggy pitch, which only just passed a 4pm inspection yesterday, is not proving conducive to the football he would like to play on it.

He said: "It's an awful pitch and I have to apologise to Stevenage for that. We can't play the football we would like to on it either.

"It's deteriorated over the years like the club but you need more money to get a better pitch and we can't afford that."

McEwan will speak to Carlisle United today about the possibility of extending defender Lee Andrews' loan stay at KitKat Crescent, saying: "We want to try to keep him, hopefully until the end of the season if we can and he is speaking to the manager there today."

Vice-captain Nathan Peat will play the second game in his comeback from a fractured leg injury at Gainsborough tonight.

A reserve friendly has been arranged at the Conference North club tonight and kicks off at 7.30pm.

Updated: 10:42 Wednesday, January 11, 2006