The pantomime season got underway early at the Crown Ground as Accrington Stanley’s rags-to-riches quest for the top half of the League Two table was thwarted by AFC Bournemouth.

A 1-0 win for the Cherries came courtesy of a Danny Hollands header on 75 minutes after he evaded the Stanley marking.

If there were any cries of “he’s behind you” they went unheeded.

The production had an early change to the cast, with John Coleman forced to replace the injured Darran Kempson with Peter Murphy.

Every play needs a good baddie, and referee Michael Oliver slipped effortlessly into the role.

He and Coleman were centre stage immediately, as the game sparked into life in the opening stages for all the wrong reasons.

Just seven minutes had elapsed when Michael Symes was shown a yellow card by Oliver for a foul after a string of similar offences by Bournemouth players.

That decision brought the Stanley manager into a heated debate with the official, who banished Coleman to the stands for the remainder of the game.

The visitors had the early impetus, with striker Brett Pitman heading over in the 10th minute.

But it was largely a stop-start affair, not helped by a number of breaks in play for free kicks and injuries. One such stoppage was for Chris Turner to limp off; the young winger had to be helped from the field with a gashed leg after just 15 minutes.

If Stanley were the Cinderella of the piece then their opponents were definitely an ugly sister – not attractive to watch, but strong, combative and competitive.

Chances were at a premium in the first period, with Turner’s replacement Jimmy Ryan firing a free kick straight at Shwan Jalal and Bobby Grant finding the goalkeeper’s hands with a header from a Tom Lees cross.

After the break things remained tight, with Pitman firing a free kick over Ian Dunbavin’s crossbar and Grant and Symes both having half chances at the other end in the early stages.

Dunbavin was forced into his only significant save in the 56th minute from another Pitman free kick; the keeper getting down well to his right and holding on to the ball.

Moments later Symes was put through by a sublime pass from John Miles and found himself one on one with Jalal, who spread himself well to push the striker’s effort away.

Just past the hour mark the Stanley fans were again left booing the villain of the piece.

Andy Procter looked set to get a shot away inside the box when he was floored by a tackle. Oliver waved the appeals away. “You’re not fit to referee” sang the Clayton End.

That decision would still be fresh in the minds when the visitors took the lead less than 15 minutes later.

Warren Cummings delivered a free kick from the right and found the head of Hollands, who guided it into Dunbavin’s net unopposed.

In the later stages Stanley pushed for the equaliser, with Murphy replaced by Billy Kee to provide a greater attacking threat.

At the other end the game could’ve been over had Pitman done better with a header from Liam Feeney’s cross, but the striker nodded well wide.

And there was very nearly a dramatic twist at the end, when Grant was brought down right on the edge of the box.

Ryan hit a superb free kick, but it seemed Jalal was determined t build up his part as he showed great reflexes to turn the ball behind.

Soon after the final whistle blew and the curtain came down on a thoroughly unsatisfactory production for the majority of the crowd.