ACCRINGTON Stanley took another big step towards automatic promotion from League Two as they made it back-to-back 1-0 wins over the Easter weekend.

The Reds saw off Notts County at the Wham Stadium thanks to a goal from centre back Mark Hughes to make it 11 games unbeaten and notch up a ninth successive home victory to remain top of the table.

A tense and tight start saw both sides have spells of possession but it was Stanley who took the lead with their first meaningful attack. After Notts failed to convincingly clear a corner Seamus Conneely delivered deep from the right and at the far post Hughes beat the offside trap to lash his fourth goal of the season low into the left side of the net.

Kevin Nolan’s visitors set about conjuring an equaliser and were the width of the woodwork from parity when Jonathan Forte headed Lewis Alessandra’s effort onto the bar and the Reds cleared from inside their own six yard box.

That set alarm bells ringing but debutant goalkeeper Jonny Maxted was largely untroubled in the first half as instead Stanley set about causing problems for County’s keeper Adam Collin, who pushed a Kayden Jackson shot over and then preventing an own goal from a McConville cross by scrambling across his line to paddle the ball out.

And John Coleman’s side picked up where they left off in the second period with Jackson racing into the box, miscuing and appealing for a penalty before teeing up McConville to shoot over the top.

Soon after they might have found a second but for the reactions of County’s Rob Milsom, who cleared Conneely’s low shot off the line with Collin beaten.

It wasn’t quite one way traffic though, with the Reds receiving a big let off on the hour mark when an unmarked Matthew Virtue headed wide was presented with a free header from Milsom’s cross but put it well wide of the left post.

It remained the league leaders asking more of the questions though, with Collin earning his money for the visitors, saving well from Jackson and Callum Johnson The keeper saved routinely from Jackson and pushed out a Callum Johnson cross before thwarting Jackson from close range after fine build up from McConville and Kee.With only a one goal cushion despite their openings Stanley’s lead was always precarious and sub Jorge Grant might have levelled with another chance for the visitors. The wideman was unopposed in the area on the left side but pulled his effort wide of the right post.

But Coleman’s men held firm to set a new mark for consecutive home Football League wins and remain three points clear at the League Two summit.

Stanley: Maxted, Johnson, Hughes, Dunne, Donacien, Clark, Conneely, Brown, McConville, Jackson, Kee