Crewe Alexandra boss Lee Bell has praised the character of his injury-hit squad for remaining firmly in the League Two play-off picture despite a "brutal" start to 2026.
The Railwaymen secured one of their best results of the season on Saturday with a 2-1 win away to fourth-placed Swindon which leaves them in sixth place with 12 games of the season to go.
A fourth win in six league matches was achieved despite losing forward Tommi O'Reilly in the first half to a tight hamstring to add to a lengthening injury list which includes Owen Lunt, Max Sanders, Jack Lankester and top-scorer Emre Tezgel.
"It's not just the result. I thought the performance was really good," Bell told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We're really struggling for numbers. Tommi had to come off the pitch [and] we are down to the bare bones.
"For them to go and put that performance in with energy and with skill and desire to keep them out, you couldn't ask for any more from a team."
O'Reilly's hamstring problem is not expected to be serious setback but he will be assessed this week along with Matus Holicek, who played the full game on Saturday and scored the opener while "carrying a knock".
Bell said defender Lewis Billington should also have sat out the trip to Wiltshire and is thankful his team are without a midweek match until mid-March, having played eight times in 28 days.
"Since Christmas it's been brutal for us," he added.
"The travelling, not being able to train, having minimal numbers in training sessions and lads not being at training because they're off getting looked at.
"It's been absolutely brutal and this week we'll give them some well-earned rest - one or two will have a few days off.
"But all credit to the players to be in and around where we are with what we spend compared to what others spend - and you can see we don't carry a big squad. The effort they put in is amazing."