Seven Guns Alive

Crewe 7 (SEVEN) Barnet 0

Matchday morning dawned bright and sunny and I had a hangover and was miles from home. A night out watching The Lockdown at The Box had ended at a friend's house. Time for a swift exit, leaving the lucky lady sleeping, and a stagger across town to get a bus home. On the way to the bus staion I accidentally wandered into HMV and picked up Gogol Bordello's album 'Trans Continental Hustle' for a bargain three quid.
On the way home, I was texted by my mate Charlie, asking if I fancied a walk up along a bit of the Sandstone Trail. My own fault - I told him I was after doing more exercise but wasn't prepared to go to the gym. Given that I hadn't had breakfast and was hungover it probably wasn't a good idea. After about 35 minutes of negotiating ascents and descents along a country path, I was convinced it wasn't a good idea. I'm sure my bright purple face gave Charlie cause for concern too! Not that I'm not grateful - I DO need the exercise and I wouldn't have pushed myself that hard. I should have known it wasn't going to be a gentle stroll - Charlie's a runner and has regularly raced on the trail. That said, I'll do that every week if it guarantees results like this.
The first half didn't actually start that well for Crewe, with Barnet creating a chance virtually straight away,  but after Miller nodded in from two feet following some good work by Grant and Murphy, Crewe's nerves settled and Barnet started going backwards. Their keeper, Jake Cole made a fantastic/lucky save from a Westwood header, turning it over the bar with his foot and then Donaldson blazed an easy chance over, but Crewe were finding a way through with surprising regularity. On 34 minutes Miller sent Donaldson through and he beat the keeper to make it 2-0. Barnet had a chance before half time before it was well saved by Rhys Taylor.
Sipping my half-time pint, I was telling all and sundry that I was hoping that Crewe weren't going to sit back on their lead. I wanted them to push on and get a third. Well, they did that and more.
Joel Grant saw a specualtive shot from distance go through the keeper two minutes into the second half and from then on it was downhill all the way for Barnet. Ten minutes later, they failed to clear a corner and Grant returned it for Artell to nod in his first goal for the Alex. A further two minutes passed before Donaldson was left unmarked to head home a Westwood free-kick and at 5-0 the game was as good as over. Even hardened Alex fans were confident we'd get the three points. In fact, there was even hushed discussion of how many we might score. We had to wait another twenty minutes for another goal, though. On the 77th minute Westwood curled an effort in from the edge of the area, the keeper got hands to it, but only succeeded in pushing it into the path of Miller who couldn't miss. By this time Crewe fans were giving it the old 'Ole!' every time Crewe strung a few passes together. And Donaldson received a standing ovation when he left the field. Replacement Leitch-Smith didn't have to wait long to make his mark. Some slick one-touch passing with the ball going round several players saw Murphy sending Leitch-Smith clear. He coolly beat the keeper to notch his first and the Alex's seventh. First time they've notched seven goals in a league game since thumping Colchester back in 1993.
So, seven nil, without last season's leading scorer (Calvin Zola, who was injured) and it could have been more. Barnet were abject in the second half and could have easily let in ten. Mind, Crewe were relentless and didn't ever stop trying to score, unlike at home to Darlington last season when we sat on a 3-0 half time lead. It paid off and we leapt nine places up the table. Barnet's woeful performance makes it difficult to judge the quality of that performance, but only the truly curmudgeonly could moan about seeing the Alex score seven times at home. Let's hope this is a springboard for greater things, starting with Ipswich in the secound round of the Carling Cup on Tuesday night.