ACCRINGTON Stanley were unable to set-up a Lancashire FA Senior Cup quarter-final clash with Blackburn Rovers after they went down 4-2 at home to a young Manchester United side featuring nine players with first-team experience.

The Reds raced into a two-goal lead in Tuesday night’s entertaining Store First Stadium encounter thanks to strikes from 18-year-old Liam Goulding and 16-year-old John Roberts, both of which were set-up by new loan signing Lee Molyneux.

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But United hit back to settle the first-round tie with a hat-trick from Will Keane – the twin brother of on-loan Burnley defender Michael Keane – and a decisive strike from James Weir who scored his side’s third goal with 11 minutes to play.

Stanley boss John Coleman said: “You’re always disappointed when you lose a game but I felt that we acquitted ourselves really well.

“It was a smashing game and we played some good football.

“A lot of the lads haven’t had a lot of game time and there were a lot of tired legs towards the end but we got out of it exactly what we wanted apart from the result.

“It was a good experience for the players who played some good stuff and pressed really well.

“On another night we would have won. At 2-2 we were on top and missed a sitter really and they went up the other end and scored.”

The Reds gave a run out to top scorer James Gray, who was making his first appearance since his sending off at Oxford United last month, and returning old boy Anthony Barry.

After the match Barry, who was part of the Stanley squad which won promotion to the Football League in 2006, completed a loan move back to the club from Conference Premier outfit Forest Green Rovers.

Coleman, whose side are in League Two action at home to Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday, said: “He did exactly what I expected of him and he’ll be a very good addition to our squad.”