Crewe Alex boss Alex Morris felt Bolton Wanderers were able to open his side up at will in the closing stages of their encounter in the Papa Johns Trophy as the Whites' squad strength in depth came to the fore.
In Group B of the Northern section of the draw, Wanderers took the lead early on through Amadou Bakayoko. However, the Railwaymen drew level not long after through Courtney Baker-Richardson.
Wanderers went ahead after the break thanks to Dion Charles, before Kieran Sadlier added a third with a classy finish. Charles added his second and Bolton's fourth before the end to ensure a 4-1 win. READ MORE: Declan John injury update & Lloyd Isgrove absence for Bolton Wanderers vs Crewe Alex explained Wanderers were able to summon strong reinforcements from the bench.
Charles, Elias Kachunga, Ricardo Santos, Conor Bradley and MJ Williams all made an appearance after the hour mark. Morris felt his side did well to stay in the game for as long as they did, but pointed to Bolton's strength in depth off the bench.