TWO second half goals from leading scorer Gary Williams gave Stanley a well deserved win at Congleton to end a run of three games without a win.

It was the home side who started brightly with Graham Dodd firing just wide after only 14 seconds, and then on 14 minutes Adrian Dunn was unable to get on the end of a Rod Thornley cross.

A minute later Congleton keeper Simon Pay made the first of four excellent saves of the first half when he turned away a Jimmy Bell free kick. Eight minutes later good work by Williams down the left set up a chance for Brett Baxter, whose fierce shot from the edge of the penalty area was turned over by Pay.

Pay made an even better save on 26 minutes, after a long kick by Jamie Speare fell to Williams, who beat the Congleton defence but his left-foot shot was brilliantly saved. Stanley took the lead on 35 minutes when John Doolan and Williams combined to create an opening for Russell Payne and the former Congleton winger made no mistake scoring against his old club.

Five minutes later Mark Shirley went down the left wing, pulled the ball back to Doolan but his shot was turned over by Pay.

But against the run of play Congleton equalised on 42 minutes when Dodd found Thornley, he laid the ball off to Chris Woodward, who raced into the penalty area and slid the ball beyond Speare.

Accrington regained the lead six minutes after the break, Williams racing onto a through ball before slotting past Pay.

Williams used his electric pace to good effect again on 62 minutes, racing past the hapless Congleton defence to make it 3-1 with his 20th of the season after swopping passes with Shirley. Congleton were then reduced to 10 men when John Evans fouled Payne and was shown a second yellow card, having been booked in the first half.

And in the third minute of stoppage time, Thornley scored a late consolation goal for the home side.

Stanley's youth side play Blackpool Mechanics at the Crown Ground on Wednesday evening (kick-off 7.30pm).

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