ACCRINGT0N STANLEY 2 ASHTON UNITED 1 RECORD signing Liam Watson went from villain to hero in the space of 10 first half minutes as the Reds made it 16 league games without defeat.

The £10,000 striker missed a first half penalty but then hit back to score twice in three minutes to take Stanley a step nearer their goal of promotion to the UniBond Premier Division.

Stanley dominated a first half which was played in torrential rain, and they could have broken the deadlock after 13 minutes when Mark Shirley and Steve Hollis combined to create an opening for Mark Brennan but his shot was brilliantly saved by Ashton goalkeeper Andy Johnston. Shirley then found John Coleman, who laid the ball off to John Doolan, but his fierce shot went narrowly over the crossbar.

The Reds had a golden opportunity to press home their advantage when they were awarded a penalty following a Paul Clowes challenge on livewire Watson. But the former Runcorn man fired his spotkick against the upright.

Watson missed another glorious chance before he finally registered on 35 minutes. Coleman took a quick throw-in, Shirley rounded Michael Jefferson and pulled the ball back for Watson, who this time made no mistake.

And minutes later he doubled his tally, racing onto a through ball before coolly squeezing a shot under the advancing Johnston to bag his fifth goal in seven games for the Reds.

Early in the second half Shirley came close to adding a third following great work from Steve Caswell and Coleman, but his delicate chip was clawed away by Johnston.

Then the Ashton keeper eclipsed that with the save of the match to thwart Coleman, whose 35 yard thunderbolt appeared destined for the top corner.

In a rare slip by the former Great Harwood keeper he dropped a Shirley corner but neither Coleman or Jonathan Smith could scramble the loose ball into the net as Johnston saved the second attempt. In the closing stages, Ashton began to come more into the game and they pulled a goal back on 72 minutes when a scramble in the Reds penalty area saw the ball rebound off Jeremy Illingworth past Reds' keeper Jamie Speare.

Stanley almost restored their two-goal advantage two minutes later, however, when Caswell and Payne linked up to find Watson but his shot on the turn was pushed round the post.

In a tense finale, referee Mr Jones added on over 12 minutes of stoppage time but the Reds hung on and, with three of their promotion rivals also winning, it was a vital three points.