Defender Joe McNerney pleased Crawley Town dug in to take Crewe Alexandra win but felt Reds rode their luck in the first half

Crawley Town defender Joe McNerney felt that Crewe Alexandra could feel aggrieved that they didn't get anything out of the game, as the Reds picked up a 3-0 home victory over the Railwaymen in League Two on Saturday.
Joe McNerney tussles for the ball in Crawley Town's 3-0 home win over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. Picture by Steve Robards.Joe McNerney tussles for the ball in Crawley Town's 3-0 home win over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. Picture by Steve Robards.
Joe McNerney tussles for the ball in Crawley Town's 3-0 home win over Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. Picture by Steve Robards.

A first half penalty from Josh Payne was followed up by late second half goals from McNerney and Crawley’s evergreen skipper Dannie Bulman.

The scoreline may have suggested a comfortable win for Gabriele Cioffi’s side but the visitors created a string of chances and only wayward finishing from the Alex forwards and superb goalkeeping from Glenn Morris secured the win.

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McNerney said: “They were playing well and were probably disappointed not to score. We hung in the game and kept the cleansheet, which is what you’ve got to do sometimes, and we got the penalty and we were ahead.

“We didn’t get close enough to them when we needed to, and they probably should have scored in the first half. We were a bit lucky to go in 1-0 but in the second half we managed them a lot better and deserved the win.

“With the game at 1-0 they were pushing forward, and the wingers were playing high, but we needed a goal to kill the game. It was a great relief to see the second goal hit the back of the net.”

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McNerney bagged Crawley’s second, and his first goal of the season, on 81 minutes as he rose highest from a Joe Maguire corner to settle a few Reds nerves.

After opening his account for the 2018/19 season, the Crawley defender admitted that he though he had missed his opportunity to score, but when he did hit the back of the net it was one ‘of the best feelings in football’.

He added: “It was a great ball from Joe and then we were 2-0 up so that killed the game. It’s a set-play we’ve worked on.

“I thought it was going to go over my head, but I managed to hang there long enough to put it in the corner.

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“It’s the best feeling in football. The aim today was a cleansheet and the three points but to get a goal was great.”

McNerney also felt that the Reds backs-against-the-wall display against Crewe would bode him and the players well going into future league fixtures.

He said: “You’re not going to play well every week. In League Two every game is going to be a battle and a fight.

“I thought they played good football, but we hung in there and defended well. If you can dig in like that and get three points, it’s good going forward.”