- Railwaymen beaten on Easter Monday
- Three first-half goals do damage
- Alex remain sixth in League Two
Crewe Alexandra were beaten 3-0 by Forest Green Rovers at Mornflake Stadium.
A disastrous 15-minute spell in the first half saw Jordan Garrick score twice and Jamie Robson add another.
The Railwaymen appeared to have the ball in the net through a brilliant Charlie Kirk volley but the officials did not give it.
And Elliott Nevitt and Shilow Tracey went desperately close as the hosts tried desperately to fight back.
But they could not gain a foothold. Crewe stay fifth in League Two, and Forest Green remain bottom.
Lee Bell made four changes to the side that drew at Gillingham, with recalls for Lewis Billington and Kirk, as well as first starts after injury for Matus Holicek and Christopher Long.
Ryan Cooney, Zac Williams and Aaron Rowe dropped to the bench, while Conor Thomas was rested completely.
Crewe started in an ultra-attacking 3-4-3 formation, with Shilow Tracey at wing back.
Forest Green, who had the vast experience of Ryan Inniss and Richard Keogh as part of their back three, hit the front on 14 minutes when they won the ball high up the pitch and Christian Doidge squared for Garrick to finish.
Crewe almost levelled immediately, but keeper Vicente Reyes blocked Long’s shot-on-the-turn from close range.
Rovers skipper Jordan Moore-Taylor cleared away from under his own bar after Long looped a header goalwards, and Billington blazed over soon after.
On 26 minutes, it was 2-0 when Inniss got up highest to meet a corner and Garrick was on hand to deflect home in front of keeper Tom Booth.
And on 28, it was three. A super cross from Charlie McCann was guided home by the head of Robson.
Bell made a double change, swapping the injured Ed Turns and Josh Austerfield for Leigh and Cooney, and switching to a back four.
Emmanuel Osadebe saw a shot cannon back off a post, while Holicek fired over the bar after a short corner at the other end.
Crewe started the second half well and applied pressure. Nevitt could have got one back but he headed straight at Reyes after meeting a Kirk cross.
A brilliant volley from Kirk looked certain to have crossed the line but the officials controversially didn’t give it, then the same player brought a smart stop from Reyes.
Cooney looped a volley on target, and the visitors somehow survived when Rowe crossed for Tracey a few yards out.
Long-range shots from Rio Adebisi, Lewis Leigh and Rowe came to nothing as the clock ticked down.
Crewe (3-4-3): Booth; Turns (Cooney, 34), Demetriou, Billington; Adebisi, Austerfield (Leigh, 34), Holicek, Tracey; Nevitt, Kirk (Williams, 77), Long (Rowe, 46).
Subs not used: Davies, Agius, Woodcock.
Booked: Nevitt, Kirk, Adebisi
Forest Green (3-4-3): Reyes; Innis, Keogh, Moore-Taylor; Thompson, McCann (Maddox, 90), Osadebe (Bunker, 90), Robson; Doidge (Dabo, 94), McAllister (Jones, 64), Garrick (Omotoye, 64).
Subs not used: Searle, Bernard.
Booked: Inniss, Osadebe, Jones
Referee: G Eltringham.
Attendance: 5,478 (179).
