A trip to Exeter City is always likely to bring back good memories of the Conference winning season for Accrington Stanley, and their latest visit was no different.

In 2006, the Reds ran out 3-1 winners at St James Park to increase their lead at the top of the table and make League football a near certainty.

The players, staff and fans certainly remember that performance, but the class of 2008 couldn’t relive it as they lost 2-1 in their first League Two visit to Devon.

Manager John Coleman made two changes from the side which lost at Tranmere in midweek with Kenny Arthur and Paul Mullin returning for Ian Dunbavin and Fola Onibuje.

From the first minute, Stanley probed the Exeter defence, and were soon into their passing rhythm.

Goalkeeper Paul Jones saw his first action with four minutes played, making a fairly routine save after Paul Mullin had got his head to a Peter Cavanagh free kick.

The home side looked nervous, and the Reds tried to capitalise.

The main menace was Jamie Clarke, who caused serious problems with his pace down the left channel.

The youngster’s first opening came with eight minutes gone, when he raced onto a through ball down the left and saw his right-foot drive from a seemingly impossible angle parried away by Jones and off a defender.

Three minutes later it was the same move with a very different outcome. Clarke latched onto David Worrall’s pass and burst into the box, checked back onto his right foot and fired a shot past Jones into the far corner of the net to give Stanley the lead.

Inevitably, an Exeter response followed, with Richard Logan heading over almost immediately after the restart before Arthur was really tested.

The Scot had to be alert on 20 minutes to keep out Ryan Harley’s long-range drive, and then somehow kept out the rebound from Ben Watson to gasps of disbelief from the crowd.

The keeper was at it again 10 minutes later when Watson got the slightest touch on a Steve Tully cross but Arthur comfortably kept it out.

There was now the ebb and flow of a cup-tie about the game, and straight away Stanley mounted a counter attack which ended with Clarke firing an effort into the side netting and defender Danny Seaborne totally powerless to stop him.

Increasingly, the Grecians were in the Stanley half and Arthur produced another wonderful save with 44 minutes played to deny the impressive Harley.

But, once again, the visitors broke away and this time were the width of the woodwork away from doubling their lead.

After a fine move involving Worrall, Clarke and John Mullin, John Miles lofted a shot over Jones from the left hand side. The keeper was beaten, but the ball rebounded off the crossbar.

It seemed that Stanley would have to settle for a 1-0 lead at the break when disaster struck. In the third minute of stoppage time, a long throw from Dean Moxey on the Exeter left travelled across the face of goal and found Matthew Gill arriving at the far post.

The midfielder volleyed the ball into the top right corner of Arthur’s goal, and there was barely time to restart.

The equaliser would prove to be a turning point, as when the second half began it was Exeter with the wind in their sails. Two minutes in, the lacklustre Logan somehow failed to hit the target with a close range header, finding the back of Robbie Williams instead of the goal.

Stanley were now reduced to infrequent counter attacks and set pieces, and Miles didn’t really trouble Jones with a 55th minute free kick.

The main focus was now on Arthur’s goal, and they were only spared from conceding a goal on 61 minutes thanks to Logan's ineptitude in front of goal.

After Edwards had diverted a cross into his own box the target man looked certain to score, but swung a leg and completely missed the ball. He was promptly substituted.

In response Miles fired into the side netting, but it was now a rearguard action for Coleman’s side, and one that was destined to fail.

With 68 minutes played Harley threaded in Watson who found himself one on one with the goalkeeper and threaded the ball past Arthur into the left corner of the goal to make it 2-1.

Coleman introduced Fola Onibuje for Peter Murphy to pep up the frontline, but Stanley seemed spent as an attacking force and Arthur saw the majority of the action in the closing stages, making a particularly impressive save to deny Marcus Stewart.

When the final whistle went the Reds were sent on the long journey home with no points and a rather less warm memory of this part of the country.