SEAN McConville scored an injury time winner and celebrated with the travelling 794 fans as Stanley secured a Boxing Day win over promotion-chasing Blackpool.

The substitute charged in to head home Callum Johnson’s ball in to make it a Christmas cracker for the Reds and extend their unbeaten run to six games.

It was perfect for the Reds who have moved up to 16th place in the table as they look to build on it for the second half of the campaign.

John Coleman’s side were without top striker Colby Bishop (back) and captain Seamus Conneely (injured) with Offrande Zanzala and Ben Barclay starting in their places.

Blackpool, pushing for the Play-Offs, started well and broke quickly within three minutes with Jordan Thompson clean through but Jerome Opoku managed to get an important touch to put him off.

Sam Finley and Thompson both entered the referee’s notebook early on after a coming together and both were walking a tightrope for the rest of the game.

Stanley’s first real chance came on 14 minutes when Dion Charles got the ball at the near post but he swept it over the bar.

And Charles forced the first real save on 16 minutes with a fierce shot which keeper Jak Alnwick pushed away. The Pool stopper was injured in saving the ball and left the field 14 minutes later, replaced by debutant keeper Jack Sims.

Stanley goalie Joe Bursik was next in action on 26 minutes, keeping out a close range bullet header from Ryan Edwards and Blackpool’s Sullay Kaikai had a ‘goal’ ruled out for off-side on 32 minutes. He slid the ball home from close range, but it did require referee Michael Salisbury to consult with his assistant.

Pool were on top with one-time Stanley target Armand Gnanduillet forcing a save out of Bursik and unmarked Thompson heading wide.

The Reds did try their luck through Jordan Clark but his effort was wide and, before the break, Pool were forced into another sub with Kaikai off and Sean Scannell coming on.

Zanzala should have brought the deadlock in first half injury time when Ben Heneghan played a short back pass and the striker ran in one-on-one with rookie keeper Sims but he fired straight at the stopper.

Stanley started the second half strongly with Clark unable to connect properly to a loose ball in the box and Charles had another good chance in the six yard box with Sims denying him.

Then it was Bursik in action, pulling off a save to keep out a Heneghan header and, after a midfield mistake by Stanley, Liam Feeney’s effort was tipped over by the Stoke loan stopper.

It looked like Stanley would leave with a point untll McConville’s late heroics.

Blackpool: Alnwick (Sims 30). Edwards, Heneghan, Delfouneso, Spearing, Kaikai (Scannell 44), Feeney (Nuttall 79), Thompson, Turton, Gnanduillet, Husband

Subs not used: Tilt, Virtue, Nuttall, Guy, MacDonald

Stanley: Bursik, Johnson, Sykes, Hughes, Opoku, Clark, Barclay, Finley, Pritchard (McConville 62), Charles, Zanzala

Subs not used: Evtimov, Sherif, Rodgers, Carvalho, Alese, Diallo