ON January 30, 2006 a 3-1 win over rivals Exeter City saw Accrington Stanley hammer home their promotion credentials as they overpowered one of their main competitors to win the Conference.

Ten years later to the day, a 1-0 victory over another west country side may well have sent out a similar message.

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Though this time the Reds are not top of the pile, their sweeping aside of fellow promotion hopefuls Bristol Rovers must surely show that John Coleman’s side should be considered serious contenders to play League One football next season.

On a grim winter day at the Wham Stadium Stanley prevailed thanks to Sean McConville’s goal to move to fifth in the table and within striking distance of the top three with games in hand.

Coleman made just one change to the side which had lost their last game, with goalkeeper Ross Etheridge coming in for a League Two debut. The 21-year-old would go on to keep the club’s first clean sheet in eleven matches.

The home team started well, with Shay McCartan nodding a Piero Mingoia cross narrowly over inside ten minutes before Matt Crooks drilled wide of the left hand post.

In the other goal Etheridge began with routine duties, making a simple save from Lee Mansell before he should really have been tested by Rory Gaffney only for the striker to guide a free header wide.

But it was Rovers custodian Steve Mildenhall who produced the best save of a tight first half, parrying a drive from Adam Buxton out before holding onto Mingoia’s follow up header.

With hail and snow sweeping in the Reds turned up the heat on their opponents after the interval as they began to pile on the pressure.

Mildenhall was equal to a Buxton free kick before Billy Kee curled a left foot shot wide of the target and the visitors survived a penalty claim for handball against defender Lee Brown leading to a corner which Joe Wright headed over the top.

For an hour Etheridge had a quiet bow but did have to earn his money as the half wore on, denying veteran Liam Lawrence at the second time of asking as the hour mark came and went.

In recent games nobody has had more chances for Stanley than winger McConville and he must have thought he’d scored in the 62nd minute when he met a Buxton free kick with a flying header inside the penalty area. Mildenhall wasn’t to be beaten though, shooting out his right arm to turn the ball away expertly.

Pace and counter attacks were the order of the day and Lawrence may feel he could have done better when presented with the ball inside the box on the left side. The wide man pulled the trigger but hit it straight at Etheridge.

That proved to be costly; moments later the deadlock was broken. McConville picked up the ball on the left wing and with Crooks bursting into the box aimed a cross towards the big midfielder. Crooks was unable to get a touch but so was Mildenhall as the ball crept in at the far post for McConville’s fifth goal of the season.

It could and should have been two when Crooks blasted a Mingoia cross over from six yards but it ultimately didn’t matter.

Another three points kept the Reds in contention. To stay there will arguably be a bigger achievement than a decade ago.