Dario Gradi marked his return as manager to Crewe by guiding his side to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Derby.
The long-serving manager was back in the dugout less than a month after heart valve surgery and was wearing a wrist monitor to check on his pulse.
Although Gradi ignored his own pledge to stay out of the coaching zone, on several occasions his team's performance was hardly likely to raise his stress levels.
Crewe were comfortably in control at 2-0 within 24 minutes against a County team was short of confidence and experience.
Birmingham loan striker Andrew Barrowman diverted Dean Ashton's mishit shot into the corner of the net after nine minutes after Barrowman himself had burst through and seen stand-in keeper Lee Grant palm his effort away.
Ashton got on the scoresheet himself when he volleyed Steve Jones' cross in at the far post and apart from a couple of efforts from loan signing Danny Dichio, Derby made little impact on proceedings.
Crewe captain Dave Brammer surged forward and thumped a long-range effort into Grant's arms just before he had to hobble off from a recurrence of a groin injury near to half time.
Jones misdirected a volley in a good position firing it wide and on to a Derby defender when it seemed easier to score following Barrowman's knockdown.
But it was all Derby after the interval and Luciano Zavagno and Simo Valakari had chances to reduce the arrears.
Lee Morris, who worked hard with Dichio up front, turned Richard Walker in the box and tried to con the referee into awarding a penalty.
Michael Johnson headed Lee Holmes' corner over from point-blank range and midfielder Tom Huddlestone let Crewe off the hook when he volleyed wide as he went through to the right of goal.
Crewe had created little in the second half, but substitute Ben Rix finished the Rams off when he ran on to a loose ball before drilling a shot home in the 77th minute.