Match Report
CREWE hammered neighbours Nantwich in their 'derby' friendly clash on Wednesday night.
The match was arranged at short notice after Crewe and Stoke City were unable to agree a kick off time for their original fixture.
Alex Manager Gudjon Thordasson and several Crewe directors were in attendance while Neil Baker took charge of a strong team.
Meanwhile, Nantwich, who are chasing promotion from the Unibond Premier, rested several of their first team players ahead of this weekend's vital home game against Ashton United.
And it was no surprise to find the pace and power of Crewe leaving Nantwich stretched at times.
Shaun Miller opened the scoring in the 11th minute before scoring a second goal six minutes later.
Midfielder Mark Carrington made it 3-0 for Alex in the 22nd minute before Nantwich finally adjusted to the pace and closed down the gaps that Crewe had earlier exploited.
Former Crewe Alex trainee Dave Whittaker reduced the deficit in the 34th minute when the defender rose in a crowded box to place a downward header past the diving Stuart Tomlinson.
But Crewe restored their three-goal margin three minutes from the break when the power and strength of Calvin Zola allowed him to hold off his marker and fire a close range shot into the roof of the net following a move down the Nantwich left.
Crewe made four changes at the start of the second half while Nantwich restarted unchanged.
Substitute Eugen Bopp scored the visitors' fifth goal in the 50th minute, Steven Schumacher notched a sixth two minutes later, while Calvin Zola completed his double on 53 minutes.
Meanwhile, former Crewe Alexandra favourite Rodney Jack, who demonstrated some of his old skills by firing several powerful shots at the Alex goal, was replaced in the 56th minute by Tunisian triallist Amoi Salah.
Midfielder Salah, who has yet to play competitive football in the UK, made an immediate impact with his ball winning skills, accompanied by a considerable turn of pace that left several Crewe players in his wake at times.
Despite Crewe’s superior goal advantage, they rarely dropped their pace, while, in the latter stages, Nantwich played some impressive football that eventually led to Dave Whittaker completing a brace in the 88th minute.
Match report written by Nantwich Guardian
