JASON Mooney says a mixture of youth and experience and large helping of hunger has inspired Accrington Stanley to their best Football League start in 59 years.

Stanley’s fourth win on the spin, against Yeovil in midweek, fired them to fourth in League Two.

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And although they couldn’t match their feat with a fourth clean sheet in five games, after Josh Sheehan equalised for the Glovers in a 2-1 win, goalkeeper Mooney is pleased with how the team is working from back to front - especially considering their tight ship is in stark contrast to last season’s leaky defence.

“I only realised after I signed,” said former York City stopper Mooney about the Reds conceding the most League Two goals in 2014/15 with 77.

“I did a little bit of research after I signed and looked at the league standings at the end of last season and saw how many they’d conceded, so I said to my dad my work’s going to be cut out for me this year if I’m playing.”

It has not worked out that way.

Stanley have gone from one extreme to the other, with only seven goals against in their 10 games so far - the third meanest defence in the division.

But it is not through the tactic of ‘parking the bus’.

“I think in glimpses we’re starting to show what we’re capable of. We work hard in training so to me it’s not a surprise that we’re getting the rewards on a matchday.

“We are hungry as well. Tom Davies hadn’t got a chance at Fleetwood and he wanted to come in and prove a point, I wanted to come in and prove a point, Matty Pearson.

“Bucko (Adam Buxton) has experience but he’s just who he is and does what he does in most games.

“I think with Dean Winnard’s experience the back give have all sort of gelled around him and made what looks like a solid defence now hopefully.”

And it has given them a solid platform to build on going forward.

“Our passing at Crawley was the best I’ve seen any League Two team pass the ball in I don’t know how long,” said Irishman Mooney.

“We’re starting to show what we’re going to be capable of in the next six months or so.

“So far I don’t think we have played a team better than us on the day, so that has to be testament to us working hard in training and in the matches.”