ACCRINGTON Stanley boss Paul Cook has confirmed that he will offer Will Hatfield a new deal for next season after the midfielder again came off the bench to score in Satur-day’s 2-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon.

After a previous loan spell from Leeds during John Coleman’s tenure, Hatfield returned to the club on a contract until the end of the season in February and has now scored three crucial goals as a substitute in recent matches.

Late equalisers against Port Vale and Bradford City were followed by an 80th-minute winner against AFC Wimbledon and Cook has praised the 20-year-old’s contribution – even if it could mean he remains on the bench for the near future.

“He could be putting himself in for a contract for Everton or Manchester United if he keeps scoring like that!” Cook laughed.

“He has been terrific and Will is a player that we want at the club next year. I’ve told Will that, he knows that.

“When you have a threat like he does of scoring goals it’s not luck. The lad gets in those areas all the time in the game.

“He’s a terrific kid as well on the back of that and I like that. When they are a good lad as well it doesn’t half help.

“It’s great to have Will on the bench at the minute. That’s not being disrespectful to Will, because when we have a strong bench people can fight for places.

“We have to have people on the bench who can come on and influence the game.”

The victory kept Stanley in 13th position in League Two ahead of their Easter fixtures – away to in-form Torquay on Good Friday, and at home to Hereford on Easter Monday.

And Cook was delighted with the way his players coped with a major injury crisis to secure three points against AFC Wimbledon.

“The players like always deserve great credit, I’m proud of them,” he said.

“We certainly don’t have the personnel to try to be hard to beat so we’ve got to attack teams to try to score more goals than them.

“The group never lie down. They showed great resilience, lads playing out of position and I thought it was a deserved win.

“My mood doesn’t swing after games, when I came into management I genuinely thought if I’m going to be slamming doors after we get beat or jumping up and down it’s not for me. I do the same things, I’ll have a couple of pints and go home.

“I don’t particularly look at league tables, I look at where can we be stronger, what players can I bring in, who do we want to have here.

“We want to finish the season well. There’s no feeling at a football club like when you win, it makes everybody happy.

“When you go on little bad runs, and loads of clubs get on them, everyone’s that bit lower.

“Now it’s our turn to win and we’re delighted but we want to make sure that we do back to back wins, we want to get three wins.”