• Youthful outfit put Runcorn to the sword
• Demetriou banks minutes and clean sheet
• First year professionals Kempster-Down and Woodcock on the scoresheet

The Alex put three past Runcorn Linnets in the opening 45 minutes of the game, with goals coming from Zak Kempster-Down, Max Woodcock and Connor Evans.

Lee Bell's fifth summer signing Mickey Demetriou was able to get a full half under his belt without conceding a goal in the process.

Ryan Cooney was also back in action after missing the game at Mornflake Stadium against Lincoln City.

The Reds will now head to Barnsley (Saturday, July 29) full confidence following a dominant display in Runcorn.

Crewe controlled possession in the opening stages of the game, and they were rewarded in the 23rd minute when Trialist B skipped past two players before squaring the ball to Kempster-Down on the edge. The full-back slotted home perfectly.

Woodcock continued his fine form in pre-season as he headed in from close-range after Cooney whipped in a ball from the right, which wasn't fully dealt with by the Linnets defence.

Two minutes later, Evans latched onto Trialist B's over-the-top ball to chip the onrushing 'keeper to make it three before the break.

With the damage done in the first-half, the gaffer introduced Lewis Billington, Trialist C, David Richards and second year scholar Muhamed Jatta.

Richards was on hand to stop a header inside the area with 10 minutes left on the clock before a Trialist for the home side slid in to an empty net but his celebrations were cut short when the linesman lifted his flag.

The Railwaymen head to South Yorkshire this weekend and supporters can view the ticket details here.

Crewe: Booth (Richards 58'), Cooney (Trialist C 58'), Sass-Davies, Demetriou (Billington 46'), Kempster-Down, Griffiths, Lunt (Jatta 80'), Trialist A, Trialist B, Evans, Woodcock.