Defender Adam Dugdale began his career as a trainee at Crewe

Crewe manager Dario Gradi believes defender Adam Dugdale has done enough to earn a new contract at the club.

The 23-year-old scored his first league goal to secure a 2-1 home victory over local rivals Port Vale on Saturday.

"He (Dugdale) is a terrific bloke to have at the club and now he looks as though he's worth a place in the team," Gradi told BBC Radio Stoke.

"I will talk to him and we will definitely extend his contract. He'll be a useful guy to have around."

After starting his career as a trainee with the Alex, the Liverpool-born defender rejoined Crewe on a short-term contract in July and has made nine appearances this season, four of them starts.

Dugdale appeared for several non-league clubs, including Southport, Droylsden and Barrow, following his initial release from Crewe at the end of 2007.

Gradi's side have picked up 16 points from their last seven matches in League Two to move up to fifth in the table and within three points of an automatic promotion place.

The Alex lost at Torquay on Tuesday and the Crewe boss admitted he was that the team would struggle with the effects of such a long midweek trip.

"It's been a hard week, that's for sure," he continued. "They were remarkable, the players.

"I was worried that they looked jaded during the week in training, but the energy that they showed was tremendous."

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