Defensive errors haunt Mariners

GRIMSBY Town slipped back into their bad old ways as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at Crewe Alexandra to erase the good work done against Shrewsbury.

It could have been a lot worse as well for a Town side that missed injured centre-back Olly Lancashire badly.

A four-goal blast by an impressive home side, aided and abetted by some shoddy defending, showed the Southampton youngster's importance.

In fact, had it not been for fine display by keeper Nick Colgan, Town's already poor goal difference could have been dented even further.

As expected, boss Neil Woods was forced to change a winning side after the weekend with Lancashire out with a recurrence of the ankle knock he picked up at Dagenham.

Paul Linwood was a straight replacement at the heart of the defence while there was another boost on the bench with Robbie Stockdale back in the squad after almost six months on the sidelines with a hernia problem.

Crewe boss Dario Gradi also made changes to the team that drew 2-2 at home to Barnet three days earlier, defender Mat Mitchel-King returning from the start. Top scorer Calvin Zola was again out, however, with an ankle problem and didn't even make the bench. He wasn't needed.

The home side were quick out of the blocks and Town had Colgan to thank for a fine stop to deny Clayton Donaldson on seven minutes after the frontman had turned Linwood to get clean through into the box before the Irish stopper thwarted him, diving to keep out his right footer.

From the rebound, Ashley Westwood fired it straight back on target but Peter Bore got his head in the way.

On a difficult surface, Town struggled to wrestle possession off the home side early on and were pegged back into their defensive third.

Then, the Mariners had Colgan to thank again after he was alert enough to tip Shaun Miller's fierce drive away from his near post.

He was helpless moments later, however, when he had to watch and hope that Westwood's volley from 18 yards went the wrong side of the post and thankfully for Town it did.

Woods' side had started sluggishly after the euphoria of the weekend win, but then they broke with pace on the counter-attack and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro barged through with Coulson and the latter almost got a shot away before a timely tackle in the box.

At the other end, it was Colgan to the rescue again when Miller was left in acres of space eight yards out from a ball over the top that he should have really done better with – his weak effort still needed saving, however.

Twenty minutes in and there was only one team threatening, though Town were starting to enjoy more possession.

Sweeney, in particular, was starting to conduct affairs from midfield but a lack of any angled runs across the back-line meant he had little to aim for.

Crewe, meanwhile, utilised their flanks well and stretched Town's back four the full width of the spacious Gresty Road pitch, and another ball from wide fell to James Bailey and his acrobatic drive was expertly finger-tipped over by Colgan again.

But the pressure had to tell and it did just before the half hour when Byron Moore took his turn to find space in the Town box and fired past Colgan, who got a strong hand to divert it onto the post before it bounced in.

Town were behind and it had been coming – but it somehow galvanised them and within three minutes they were level with their first shot on target and it was the man in form, Akpa Akpro who got it.

He worked his way into the box on the left, took it past his marker before firing low across Steve Phillips with his left foot.

It delighted the travelling Town fans but their joy was short-lived as Crewe hit back in as many minutes.

It was another sloppy goal defensively for Town to concede as Joe Widdowson was left with two men at the back post and when he left Grant to try and stop Moore, he allowed the pass to Grant and the winger slotted home past Colgan.

Town were the masters of their own downfall.

No sooner had they clawed their way back into the game, they were behind again.

They were forced into a change before the break when Jamie Devitt limped off to be replaced by Nick Hegarty on 38 minutes.

And his first touch, a miss-hit right footer, remarkably set up an equaliser for the Mariners three minutes later, Dean Sinclair on hand to slot home from seven yards for his third goal in as many days.

Four goals in one half had provided great entertainment, though much of the action had come by the way of defensive mistakes.

The second half started with Town looking to score three goals on the road for the first time in over a year since the 3-3 at Barnet, and Sweeney continued to shine as he probed for that inch-perfect pass over the top.

But it was the home side who edged ahead again 10 minutes after the break and what a strike it was by Westwood: it flew with a sonic boom into the top corner of Colgan's goal after Donaldson had out-muscled Atkinson to pull the ball back from the bye-line and the scorer arrived right on cue first time.

Town's world could have fallen apart after that as Westwood raced from midfield twice in quick succession to fire just off target.

It was like the Alamo at times – Colgan again forced to tip over a Grant cross-shot.

But while there was only one team in it, however haphazard the Town defending, there was still the chance of an away point.

Woods made a double change for the final half hour with Adam Proudlock and Michael Leary on for Coulson and Sweeney after the latter had been booked for a late foul.

And soon after, Peacock almost had that equaliser but for a stunning point-blank block by Phillips from his close-range volley.

He also saw a header from 12 yards on target, while Akpa Akpro attempted to hook in on the turn without success.

In truth, it was the home side who looked the more likely to add to the scoreline as Donaldson fired agonisingly wide one on one thanks to more over-generous Town defending.

As the game slipped away, the home side were reduced to 10 men when a rash challenge on Leary by Crewe substitute Carl Martin brought an angry reaction from the Town players and resulted in a straight red card.

But, even a man light, Gradi's Railwaymen still had enough to add a fourth for the second time against Town this season – Donaldson getting a deserved goal when he cut back inside on the left of the box to fire past a despairing Colgan.

In the railway town of Crewe, Town's Football League survival service that set off in hope from Cleethorpes on Saturday well and truly hit the buffers.