What the press made of the group stage exit
The Chronicle
Crewe Alex bowed out of the Checkatrade Trophy after going down 2-0 in a toothless display at home to Chesterfield on Tuesday.
The Railwaymen had the better of the play rarely threatened to score, and goals from Jay O’Shea and Conor Dimaio sealed their exit from the competition.
It had started brightly in the group games with a win at Accrington, but losses to Wolves under 23s and now the Spirites meant they have not done enough to progress.
And with another £10,000 at stake for the win, it will be a disappointment to the club to go out of the competition they won in 2013.
The Sentinel
Crewe Alexandra slipped to a disappointing exit from the Checkatrade Trophy as they were beaten 2-0 by Chesterfield at Gresty Road.
Goals in either half from Jay O'Shea, and a Conor Dimaio penalty, gave the League One side victory, and ensured their passage in to the next round of the competition at the Alex's expense.
It meant back-to-back home defeats in the competition for the Alex as they exited the competition despite a 3-0 win over Accrington Stanley in gameweek one.
Crewe saw plenty of the ball, and had much the better of the territory, but slumped to a third straight home defeat ahead of the visitors of League Two leaders Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.
Sheffield Star
Chesterfield sealed their spot in the second round of the EFL trophy by beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0. Danny Wilson’s men finished second behind Wolves in Northern Group B after goals from Jay O’Shea and Connor Dimaio either side of the break secured the Spireites successive victories for the first time since the middle of August last night. After turning a corner with a first-round FA Cup win against Colchester on Saturday, manager Danny Wilson named no less than five changes for the Spireites CheckATrade trophy encounter.