Takeaways and Giveaways

By: Andrew Doherty
Date: 25/10/2025

I am very pleased with the position we're in as I'm sure most, if not all, Town supporters are. I do, at the risk of sounding like Head Coach and Data King David Artell, see the need for improvement in some areas. One is his own data selection.

If he says we had 65 touches in the opposition area against Gillingham, I'm sure he's right and do recognise he didn't present this as the complete picture. He did refer briefly to the need for coaching on how to see a game out, and also to the 5 minutes where, as he put it, we “lost our emotional regulation”. I'd personally describe this as Losing the Plot Wasn't losing our emotional regulation a song by REM? The bloke next to me in the Findus was having an emotional meltdown, such was his frustration. I'd say we made ourselves vulnerable for more like 30 minutes not to mention the early mix-up between Pym and Sweeney. Equating the touches in the opposition box against occasions of self-inflicted vulnerability rather than just minutes might give a truer picture. All this in any case is always obfuscated by the weekly follow-up interview where the interviewer asks for the manager's further takeaways. This does not mean we hear about Mr Artell's sumptuous foo yung or chicken tikka masala, but does lead to a selection of data to demonstrate that we are even more deserving of victory in the last game than his previous interview suggested. Leaving aside data semantics, it is encouraging at least that he identified, albeit fleetingly and begrudgingly, those two areas which stopped us closing out last Saturday's game and caused us to be vulnerable and nervous. While we fly high, the form of today's opponents Crewe has been patchy. I don't know what's happened at Crewe or whether they've fallen victim to the physicality of some of the division's teams as we've been encountering, but we've had some good performances here at Gresty Road in recent years and here was a good opportunity for us to make further advancement.

Crewe is a known railway town, giving enthusiasts cause for severe emotional regulation misalignment at the sight of its array of rolling stock including a rake of 1980s 2d ScotRail coaches by the station - more exciting at least than Crewe town centre which seems more dilapidated with every time I come here. But today was about football as the Mariners took on the Railwaymen. Town's starting team today was: Pym – Rodgers, Warren, McJannet, Sweeney – McEachren – Amaluzor, Green, Walker, Vernam – Kabia. Warren replaced Lavelle who looked good last week, but more surprisingly there were no centre backs on the bench for Town today.

Around 1200 of highly vocal Town supporters filled the Ice Cream stand. In a nod to its sponsors, Town wore the cream-coloured straciatella kit today. It was a bright and breezy day with the sun out but not quite the kind of weather to be enjoying frozen products. After 3 minutes Vernam burst forward and found space to find Green, who passed to Walker. Cutting inside, Walker was fouled. Vernam's free kick was terrible but the ball was retrieved and Amaluzor shot a creditable left footer just wide of the post. Town looked to have an appetite. On 5 minutes after a Crewe attack, Pym threw the ball out. Amaluzor ran forward unchallenged and threaded the ball into the box for Walker who slipped the ball past Booth. Easy. Crewe 0, Town 1. Kabia then did well to shake off Connolly and supply Vernam whose curled shot ran wide. Crewe came back and had a great chance on 14 minutes after a Warren slip. Rodgers did brilliantly, timing his tackle perfectly to deny Tezgel. Green did well to cut out a dangerous cross from Agius as Crewe threatened, undoing themselves with poor delivery. On 23 minutes Green muscled his way through to win a corner. Town looked lively going forward in between the Crewe pressure. A poor Finney back pass earned Town a corner but again Town weren't able to take advantage. Warren played back to Pym. The ball was redistributed to McJannet. Town froze in their own half. McJannet mistimed his cross pass. Tezgel pounced, taking possession, running forward and driving his shot past Pym. 1 - 1. Town and McJannet in particular paid the price for complacency. On 36 minutes Sweeney picked up a loose ball in midfield and found Vernam on the left. Green couldn't connect with Vernam's cross before Warren was unlucky to be penalised when retrieving the ball. Finney made a run in the left and crossed to the right. O'Reilly had the space and time to tee up Tezgel who fired his shot home from close range. Crewe 2, Town 1. Town's defence looked static as Crewe gained confidence in their attacking play. Town were now looking lost in their play. On 44 minutes Rodgers once again showed some fire with a tackle in midfield as Town floundered. The ball was played out on the right to Green who put in a lung bursting run before passing to Amaluzor who deftly shook off the defender. Amaluzor ran on and passed across the box where Walker was on hand at the far post to push the ball into the net. Crewe 2, Town 2 was the half time score. The game had been up and down with Crewe putting together more sustained attacks and Town's defence looking hesitant and vulnerable while Town looked capable themselves of attacks of dangerous quality from a number of areas.

Kabia put the Crewe defence early in the second half but it was the home side who looked more threatening. Crewe won a corner on 49 minutes after a tussle between McEachren and Agius. O'Reilly sent it in. Tezgel got above the defence but Green was on hand to clear the header off the line. Amaluzor then committed a clumsy tackle on Agius in Town's half. Vernam had a run and a shot after a corner but Crewe continued to apply pressure, with Thomas and then Sanders going close. Town countered on 58 minutes. Vernam found the advancing Sweeney whose shot curled wide. The game was showing signs of opening up. Amaluzor and Green broke but Amaluzor's final ball was poor. Crewe went upfield, and good defence stopped O'Reilly. For the second time in the match the game was stopped for an injury to the combative Kabia. 64 minutes had passed. On the restart Crewe attacked. O'Reilly put in a dangerous cross from the right which Agius gathered. Town's defence did well to close Agius down. After another Crewe free kick in Town's half, Khouri came on for Walker. Town attacked. Sweeney had an opportunity then Rodgers was tripped outside the penalty area. Vernam struck his shot against the wall and volleyed the rebound over the bar. Kabia then did well to rob Thomas and burst forward with support either side. But the inexperienced Kabia lost composure and needlessly blazed high while unbalanced from 25 yards out. On 75 minutes as Crewe were launching a sustained attack Demetriou was tripped outside Town's box. Sanders struck his shot over. Crewe continued to attack but at this stage Town were keeping their concentration, unlike moments in the first half. With 79 minutes gone Rose and Svanthorsson came on for Kabia and Amaluzor. On 81 minutes Rodgers was penalised for fouling Agius 25 yards out. Crewe's short pass routine didn't work out, and Town averted the threat. Town promptly got the ball upfield and Vernam was unlucky to shoot wide after cutting in. Crewe responded and won another free kick on the edge of Town's box after a foul by McJannet on Agius. Sanders's free kicked was blocked. The ball was cleared but Town switched off as Sanders was allowed oceans of space on the right for him to send a curling cross into Tezgel who was unchallenged and headed home with ease. Crewe 3, Town 2. 87 minutes had gone. Town won a free kick moments later in Crewe's half. Sweeney was booked for an altercation with Crewe's Lankester. Sweeney was replaced by Staunton who sent in the free kick which Rose sent wide with a glancing header. Burns came on for Warren as Town looked for a late equaliser. Crewe packed their defence and cleared their lines. Town worked hard with Vernam orchestrating things. Burns did well on the right but it was all smacking of desperation. Crewe's keeper Booth cleared their lines with a ball into the stand. Vernam picked up the ball on the restart, ran across, found space but sliced his shot well wide. The game was up. The final whistle blew: Crewe Alexandra 3, Grimsby Town 2.

The result was disappointing but I thought the better side won, based on the overall balance of play. Town had some dazzling moments of quality in the first half and played ok but Crewe had more urgency and intensity about them. I suspect that Crewe can play a lot better as they were guilty of poor final balls. Their play improved as the game went in, unlike Town whose play was sporadic and occasionally ragged. If the usual pattern is followed, Mr Artell will try to convince us that we were the better side, before mulling over the match data in advance of being asked for further takeaways and concluding that we were clearly the better side. I hope he doesn't do this. He will, I am sure, recognise that there are learning points. Town worked hard and we saw some of the qualities that our players have, so let's recognise that. The goals were great team efforts, and it was great to see Vernam steaming on and trying to create something until the end. Having said this, Vernam's dead ball delivery was particularly poor. Kabia showed signs of inexperience as might be expected but did good things too. Our defence was guilty of three soft goals, all given away at times when we seemed to be concentrating and absorbing pressure from an adventurous Crewe team. After the second, our defence worryingly lost confidence. We were saved by an excellent second Town goal, and the opportunity to regroup at half time. We were overrun in the second half but could have snatched a result on the counterattack. It was a good game to watch, and one of takeaways and giveaways from Town's point of view. I'm not too discouraged and I'm sure Mr Artell isn't either but in common with the Gillingham game my takeaway would be our continued need to think clearly and avoid switching off, as happened today to our cost. Mr Artell likes learning points. There were plenty of those today.

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