- Railwaymen edged on the road
- White with consolation goal
- Alex stay fifth in the table
Crewe Alexandra slipped to a first defeat in eight matches at Grimsby Town.
An under-par performance in difficult conditions saw the home side establish a 2-0 first-half lead through Abo Eisa and Danny Rose.
Joe White came off the bench to get Crewe back in it with 12 minutes left on the clock.
But The Railwaymen could not find an equaliser and they stay fifth in League Two as a result.
Lee Bell made one change to the side that drew at Sutton, with White deemed only fit for the subs’ bench after picking up an ankle injury. Lewis Billington came into the side at left wing-back, with Rio Adebisi moving into midfield.
David Artell named ex-Alex trainee Toby Mullarkey in defence for his first home game as Grimsby boss, while Callum Ainley was amongst the subs.
Alex Hunt blasted over for the hosts, while Connor O’Riordan forced a good save from keeper Harvey Cartwright and Mickey Demetriou headed just wide from the resultant corner at the other end.
But on 18 minutes Grimsby took the lead when Eisa received the ball from a short corner and whipped a brilliant effort into the top corner from outside the area.
The game was scrappy and difficult, with the ball sticking on the boggy ground.
Billington saw a shot deflected just wide after the ball dropped to him in the area and Courtney Baker-Richardson fizzed one wide as the Alex looked for a goal.
But it was 2-0 at the break after Rose met Anthony Glennon’s deep cross at the far post and headed home.
Demetriou volleyed wide early in the second half as Crewe lined up in a 4-3-3.
Rose could have put the game to bed but headed over from close range for Town, while Harry Clifton sidefooted wide as the clock ticked down.
The Alex grabbed a lifeline on 78 minutes when Demetriou floated a cross in and White guided home assuredly on the volley.
Elliott Nevitt saw a powerful strike blocked and O’Riordan had an effort on the turn deflected for a corner as The Railwaymen desperately tried to find a leveller.
But the home side stood firm to claim all three points
Grimsby (4-3-3): Cartwright; Glennon, Rodgers, Mullarkey, Maher; Conteh, Hunt (Ainley, 72), Clifton; Gnahoua (Green, 72), Rose, Eisa (Khan, 72).
Subs not used: Eastwood, Efete, Green, Waterfall, Holohan, Khan, Ainley.
Booked: Mullarkey.
Crewe (3-4-3): Davies; O’Riordan, Offord, Demetriou; Cooney (Rowe, 57), Thomas (Williams, 57), Adebisi, Billington (White, 46); Nevitt, Baker-Richardson, Tracey.
Subs not used: Booth, Colkett, Finney, Kempster-Down.
Booked: O’Riordan, White.
Referee: R Watkins.
Attendance: 5,291