Defender aiming high

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Newly-recruited centre-back Mark Ellis believes Crewe Alexandra will genuinely surprise a few very illustrious names in League One this season.

The 23-year-old arrived from Torquay United for a fee of around £70,000 over the summer as seemingly a direct replacement for former skipper David Artell, although he readily appreciates there's already plenty of stiff competition around from the likes of Harry Davis, Adam Dugdale and Kelvin Mellor.

Ellis is particularly keen to test himself at the higher level and against bigger named clubs such as Portsmouth, Coventry City, Preston North End and Sheffield United this term.

"There are some massive clubs in this league and some very good players and that is why I wanted to come and test myself," he told Crewe's official website. "There is a great bunch of young players here and the manager has brought in some new players so I think we could surprise one or two next season."

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