OWEN Dale netted Crewe's first goal in 364 minutes to point the way to victory on the Fylde coast.

The Alex's first win in four was welcome reward for a hard-working effort, which will have satisfied concerns that boss Dave Artell may have had over the season drifting away.

Dale scored for the first time in six games to take his tally for the campaign to 10, finishing off from close range following some determined work by Luke Murphy, and Chris Porter sealed the win with a late penalty.

But a spotkick award at the other end could have quickly cancelled out the visitors 24th-minute advantage at the Highbury Stadium, had Will Jaaskelainen not shown his prowess again from 12 yards.

It was the third time in the last four games the young keeper has repelled penalties, having denied Portsmouth's John Marquis, only being beaten by a follow-up against Oxford and tonight thwarting Kyle Vassell.

It was a needlessly-conceded award with Donervon Daniels, on for the injured Luke Offford, flying in recklessly on Callum Camps. But Jaaskelainen dived down to his left and Rio Adebisi made sure by scrambling the striker's angled follow-up off the line.

With Omar Beckles suspended, boss Artell changed his formation and drafted in Olly Lancashire to play in a back three alongside Nathan Wood and Luke Offord.

But a sour note of the evening was Offord's early retirement with a worrying-looking injury which suggests the 21-year-old, back in recent weeks from a serious hamstring tear, won't be seen in the remaining four games.

Artell's defensive revamp was over soon after the break when on-loan Middlesbrough youngster Wood hobbled off after pulling up twice before the interval. That saw the introduction of Antony Evans, who showed his creative touch by floating a cross over which Mikael Mandron headed over.

Both Mandron and Chris Porter started the game in a front three and the latter came close to bundling in a Harry Pickering corner in the first half.

That came after Dale failed to pick out Porter for an easier finish inside the box after he skipped past keeper Alex Cairns, who had charged off his line.

But Dale was spot on minutes later when Fleetwood failed to clear their lines and Murphy slid in decisively to win the ball in a 50:50 with a defender to offer the attacker a clear sight of goal.

Simon Grayson's side were industrious in their approach play, but blunt around the box. Yet it needed a very agile save from Jaaskelainen shortly after his penalty heroics to repel Vassell's close-range header from Janoi Donacien's driven cross.

After the break there were few dramas for Crewe to negotiate and the win was sealed with Porter sinking the 83rd-minute penalty low past Cairns, with the award coming after Evans was manhandled in the box by Callum Connolly as he attempted to bring the ball down.

Fleetwood: Cairns; Hill, Connolly, Andrew; Donacien, Batty (Baggley), Rossiter (Finley), Camps, Rydel (Garner); McKay, Vassell Subs: Coleman, Saunders, Biggins, Duffy.

Crewe: Jaaskelainen; Wood (Evans), Lancashire, Offord (Daniels); Adebisi, Lowery, Murphy, Pickering; Mandron, Porter, Dale Subs: Richards, Johnson, Ainley, Walker, Kirk.