On-loan Derby County midfielder Timi Elsnik’s first-half brace set Mansfield Town on their way against Crewe Alexandra at the Alexandra Stadium yesterday evening.
Manager David Artell made 1 change from Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Grimsby Town with Nicky Hunt dropping back to the bench as centre-back Perry Ng came back into the starting 11 after being suspended for the Grimsby game.
The opening goal of the game came in the 6th minute as Elsnik scored with a left-footed strike from outside the area that went in off the foot of the post before Crewe’s first chance came 4 minutes later as Charlie Kirk shot over the bar after Callum Ainley did well down the right.
Mid-way through the half, Kirk found Harry Pickering with the young full-back’s low-cross found Shaun Miller who somehow didn’t equalise from 6-yards out. The second came 10 minutes before the break after an Ng tackle fell perfectly into the path of Elsnik whose effort found the top corner from 25 yards.
The first Alex chance of the second period came on 58 minutes with Pickering curling the ball in from the right with Bobby Olejnik making the save before a third was added 3 minutes later as CJ Hamilton beat Corey Whelan for pace down the Alex right with his cut-back turned in by Tyler Walker. A fourth should have been added a minute later when Hamilton got on the inside of Whelan and missed the target when he should have scored.
The Alex travel to Northampton Town next Saturday.
What have we learnt from this game?
Last night proved that we have to be more clinical in front of goal, especially in tight games like the first half of this one. Once the third goal went in, the fight had gone and, if it wasn’t for the early introduction of Ollie Finney for James Jones 10 minutes after the break, then i’d struggle for anything positive from last night as he looked to get on the ball and find a red shirt.