Jordan Bowery: Crewe Alexandra sign Leyton Orient striker on loan until May

Jordan Bowery started on the bench for Leyton Orient in Saturday's defeat at Portsmouth

Crewe Alexandra have signed striker Jordan Bowery on loan for the rest of the season from League Two relegation rivals Leyton Orient.

Bowery, 25, who once cost £500,000 when he left Chesterfield for Aston Villa in 2012, has been at Orient since being released by Oxford in June.

He becomes the first signing made by new Crewe boss David Artell.

The Alex are the second lowest scorers in League Two this season, having netted just 25 goals in 26 games.

Bowery made 22 appearances, 15 of them as a substitute, without finding the net in his two years at Villa before being signed for an undisclosed club-record fee by Rotherham, then moving on to Oxford in the January transfer window.

Orient are 20th in League Two, just three points behind Crewe, who have won just two of their last 22 games. But one of them was at Orient in October, in a game in which Bowery was substituted at half-time.

We want to keep Lowe - Artell

Artell has made it clear that he wants captain Ryan Lowe to remain at the club, despite continued speculation about a move back to one of the 38-year-old Liverpudlian's former clubs Bury as player-coach.

"I don't want Ryan to go," said Artell. "I want him here. Any manager will want to keep hold of their most experienced player and leading scorer, and I am no different.

"Ryan was the first player I spoke to when I got the job. He is a good pro. We will have to play it by ear but I don't want him to go."

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