Paul Hurst admits he enjoyed Grimsby’s comfortable Carabao Cup win over Crewe

Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2022 by PA

Paul Hurst admits he enjoyed watching rampant Grimsby overwhelm Crewe to reach the Carabao Cup second round with a 4-0 win at Blundell Park.

Goals from Luke Waterfall, Kieran Green, Andy Smith and Stephen Wearne settled the game as Grimsby stand by for a possible date with Premier League opponents in the next stage following their return to the competition this season.

Grimsby were particularly dangerous from set-pieces as Bryn Morris provided the supply line for Waterfall to nod the opener and Green to rifle home a second.

Smith got his name on the scoresheet from a similar situation – with Anthony Glennon this time grabbing the assist – as Wearne blasted into the net three minutes from time after combining with Grimsby substitute Brendan Kiernan.

Hurst said: “It was enjoyable to win so comfortably. It’s not that often you get to stand in the dugout and enjoy the last few minutes of a game to be honest.

“I was really pleased as there were some good performances and the lads coming off the bench had an impact as well.

“I don’t think we have picked up any injuries, so if that’s the case it was a good night for us and we can look forward to the draw. Not that we wouldn’t have been strong, because I’ve spoken about the squad, but I didn’t want to make too many changes.”

Crewe manager Alex Morris said: “We made changes because we need to ask questions and we are going to need everybody to contribute this season. We wanted to win the game and there was no reason why we couldn’t with the team we selected.

“A lot of our players were not up to the required level. It’s not the end of the world, but we want to breed a culture where winning matters.”