ACCRINGTON Stanley beat Wycombe Wanderers at the Wham Stadium for the first time since 2006 thanks to a solitary goal from Mark Hughes.

The Chairboys arrived unbeaten in their last eight trips down Livingstone Road but headed home empty handed thanks to the defender’s second half strike.

John Coleman made two changes from the team that drew with Newport, with Jordan Clark injured and Jordan Thorniley dropped to the bench. Farrend Rawson and weekend goalscorer Mallik Wilks came in.

That brought a switch to three at the back, with the visitors deploying a similar system but it was the Stanley manager’s changes that ultimately bore fruit and prompted an efficient and effective performance.

Wanderers striker Craig Mackail-Smith had bagged a hat-trick in the weekend win over Crawley and was almost in the goals again early on, forcing Aaron Chapman to push his effort round the post.

Stanley’s two main forwards, Kayden Jackson and Wilks, have pace to burn and asked plenty of questions of the visiting defence early on with Billy Kee dropping deeper than normal to provide the service.

The longer the half wore on, the more threat the home side posed with visiting goalkeeper Scott Brown tested by a deflected Jackson strike.

Stanley’s best chance of the first period came six minutes from the break when Sean McConville’s teasing left wing cross was met firmly by the head of Wilks but the Leeds loanee was denied a goal by a good Brown save.

Gareth Ainsworth’s side made a good start to the second period. Marcus Bean, a half time replacement for Mackail-Smith, volleyed wide after Chapman had punched a cross clear as the Chairboys created the first good opening.

But as in the first 45 Stanley began to respond and when the impressive McConville was invited to advance down the left flank the Reds skipper pulled the trigger and from range forced a good save from Brown.

Stanley’s breakthrough came 20 minutes from the end when McConville’s seemingly miscued free kick from the right deflected to Callum Johnson who found Kee and the striker was able to pick out Hughes who passed the ball into the corner of the net for his second of the season.

Coleman’s men might have been comfortable ten minutes later when Jackson’s powerful strike from the left was too hot for Brown to hold and Joe Jacobson had to scramble clear with sub Mekhi McLeod arriving to dispatch the rebound.

Luke O’Nien’s late header was straight at Chapman as the visitors searched for a leveller but never looked like finding one as the hosts held firm.

Stanley: Chapman, Rawson, Hughes, Richards-Everton, Donacien, Brown, Johnson, McConville, Kee, Jackson, Wilks.