Crewe 5-0 Grimsby Player Ratings: Cooper gets a 10

Dagnall shone for the Railwaymen – but who else?

First half braces from George Cooper and Chris Dagnall, along with a late goal from Callum Cooke saw Crewe Alexandra record a 5-0 demolition of Grimsby Town. But how did players on both teams rate?

Crewe Alexandra

Ben Garrett – didn’t have to work hard for his clean sheet. Thwarted Osborne a couple of times in the first half and saved well from Asante. 7

Oliver Turton – rarely tested defensively due to Grimsby’s lack of width and played a relatively modest part in Crewe’s performance. 6
George Ray – if his fitness had been in question before Saturday, it did not show on the day. 8
Ben Nugent – solid performance. Often hassled by Jones and Asante in the second half but confidently held either off one-on-one. 7
Jon Guthrie – tended to tuck in closely to Nugent. He was solid in the first half but also gave too much space to Bolarinwa for a 15 minute period after the break. 6

James Jones – got forward when the right moments arose, but did so from deep. Quick to second balls in a selfless, energetic display. 7
Danny Hollands – patrolled the midfield superbly, denying Grimsby space in front of the defence. If the opponents had a player of his tactical discipline, they might have fared better. 8
George Cooper – the jewel in a hardworking crown. Found acres of space down the left in the first half but exploited it to maximum effect. Key to everything good Crewe did and scored two goals, including a sublime free-kick. 10
Callum Cooke – his mazy dribble on two minutes set up Cooper’s opener, before getting his goal on 87. In the intervening 85 minutes, it was hard to believe that he only made his professional debut last week. 8

Chris Dagnall – good movement in the first half and took his goals well. His experience and knowhow in the final third shone through. 9
Jordan Bowery – linked up play superbly in the first half. Quieter in the second half but still could have scored a rasping volley and worked hard throughout. 8

Zoumana Bakayogo (on 77) – used his physicality to good effect in his short time on the pitch. 6
Alex Kiwomya (on 83) – added pace and got an enthusiastic reception from supporters upon his entrance. 6
Callum Ainley (on 84) – not for the first time in his short career to date, Ainley impressed from the bench. He took on defenders, won free-kicks and set up Cooke’s late goal. 7

Grimsby Town

James McKeown – didn’t cover himself in glory in the first half, particularly for the opening goal. Made a couple of good saves after the break including Cooper’s volley from the centre-circle. That would have been the fella’s hat-trick, spoil sport… 4

Ben Davies – at 35 it’s asking a lot for him to play as an attacking wing-back and recover a defensive position quickly. Caught out of place far too often in the first half. 2
Shaun Pearson – did a decent job on Bowery after the break, but the damage had already been done. 4
Danny Collins – gave the ball away for the fifth goal and was fearful throughout. 2
Gavin Gunning – costing Grimsby too many goals at present and committed an unnecessary foul on Ainley late on. 2
Danny Andrew – one cross from the byline that led to Osborne’s shot was the left wing-back’s one bright moment in a poor 45 minutes, that saw him taken off at the break. 3

Chris Clements – heavily involved in a decent spell at the start of the second half, but through the rest of the game, his physical and mental fragilities were exposed. 3
Brandon Comley – anonymous throughout – when the second half kicked-off, one could have been forgiven for checking if he was one of the three substitutes… 1
Jamey Osborne – like Clements, decent in possession during Grimsby’s better spells and forced Garrett into two first half stops. Without the ball, his contribution was questionable. 4

Adi Yusuff – at times in the first half, he would hold onto the ball for a moment or two before suffering from a lack of support. Work ethic could have been better. 4
Callum Dyson – looked lost in the first half. Appeared afraid to challenge for the ball and couldn’t hold onto it when he did receive a pass. Rightly taken off at the break. 1

Tom Bolarinwa (on 45) – no end product but the fact he ran for the ball and tried to make things happen made him one of Grimsby’s best players on the day. 6
Akwasi Asante – worked hard and could have done better with two chances within the space of 30 seconds. 6
Sam Jones (on 45) – hassled Crewe’s defence throughout the second half. His performance might not have merited a 7 in normal circumstances, but he showed the desire to keep fighting for the ball right until the end, unlike his teammates. 7