Three first half goals in the space of ten minutes were enough to prevent Darlington recording another three points on their travels. The visitor's goal had already led a charmed life in the opening fifteen minutes before the combined threat of Calvin Zola and Clayton Donaldson finally proved too much for Darlington.

Quakers' boss Steve Staunton named an unchanged starting elven from the one which tasted victory at Rotherham United in midweek. By the end of the interval however the Irishman was making a treble substitution in a bid to try and find a way back into contention at Gresty Road. Crewe have found consistency hard to come by this campaign but would have been forewarned after the result at the Don Valley Stadium days earlier.

The home side forced the visitors onto the back foot early on. A header back to Nick Liversedge by Paul Arnison early on allowed Crewe a corner kick. Zola then struck the crossbar and on ten minutes Ian Miller struggled to deal with a ball forward which allowed former York City striker Donaldson a clear shot at goal. He was denied by a good block by Darlington's keeper but the ball still managed to connect with the bar.

Crewe's flow was briefly disrupted as Darlington managed to get a slight foothold in the game. However the home side finally took the lead when Quakers failed to deal with a corner kick on twenty-four minutes. Arnison managed to clear the ball off the line but another shot was quick to come in. Liversedge did well to block but the ball fell nicely for Zola who stroked home.

At the opposite end Tadhg Purcell fired over the bar as Darlington tried to reply. Crewe though added a second when Joel Grant slotted home after a cross from the right took a deflection and left him with an easy task at the far post. The third was not long in following as Zola added a second to his tally for the afternoon. The forward was allowed space to loop a header over Liversedge who, despite producing some decent saves, had largely struggled.

The scoreline at half time was enough for Staunton to make a triple change. Simon Madden, Josh Gray and Patrick Deane were all thrust into the Gresty Road pitch. Darlington responded after the break and enjoyed their best period of the game. Quakers carved out a few opportunities for themselves as they started to get on top in the possession stakes. Mor Diop managed to do well as he got onto the end of a ball forward. The striker managed to control and find space against two men and sent a lot shot wide of the upright.

The home side laboured in the second half but at 3-0 up they could afford to. They showed some moments of danger but their attacking threat was far diminished from that of the first period. Grant nearly added a fourth with ten minutes left when he managed to hit the side netting before being substituted. Quakers had better shape after the break but all three goals in the opening forty-five minutes had done their damage.