STANSTED airport may be a more popular venue in Essex to start a summer holiday, but Accrington Stanley appeared to begin their break at a different location in the county.

The Reds slumped to a miserable 4-0 defeat to Dagenham and Redbridge at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium in a game that had a real end of season feel.

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Suspension and illness deprived John Coleman of a couple of players but nine of the personnel that looked so good in drawing with Stevenage started the game and turned in polar opposite performances.

The Reds started relatively brightly with Josh Windass volleying high and wide and Shay McCartan seeing an effort blocked by defender Scott Doe.

When Windass cut in from the left and fired past the post it seemed that home goalkeeper Jason Cousins may be in for a busy afternoon but it turned out to be very different story.

The Daggers went in front on 20 minutes with the simplest of goals.

Frankie Raymond’s corner was delivered to the far post where full back David Partridge was unopposed to head home his first senior goal from close range and make it 1-0.

Moments later the dangerous Ade Yussuff burst into the area and beat Scott Davies from a tight angle, only to see Adam Buxton hack the ball out of the six yard box.

Stanley’s best chance to level came on the stroke of half-time when McCartan meandered past two defenders and found Piero Mingoia on the left but the wideman could only find the hands of Cousins with his shot.

If the first half had been tight and unremarkable the second period was all about Jamie Cureton.

The veteran striker came on for the injured Yussuff and found the net within 90 seconds of the start of the second half.

Cureton didn’t look 39 when he burst away from Rob Atkinson to chase a hopeful ball down the channel. He got there before the defender and slid the ball through the legs of Davies to make it 2-0.

Now Wayne Burnett’s men had a degree of control and weren’t about to give Stanley a way back into the game.

In fact, they extended their lead through another player notching for the first time in the Football League.

Once again Cureton got the better of Atkinson, winning a free kick in a pretty central position within shooting distance, and Raymond stepped up to curl the ball beyond Davies into the corner to make it 3-0.

Only a low save from the Stanley keeper from Cureton in a one on one situation prevented it from becoming 4-0 12 minutes from time but it was a temporary reprieve.

A minute from the end Cureton tricked his way past Atkinson to the byline on the right and cut the ball back for winger Jodi Jones who capped his first start for the home side with an emphatic finish beyond Davies to make it 4-0 and complete a comprehensive victory.

Stanley’s five match unbeaten run was at an end but the evidence of the performance suggested that some players may be heading for the departure lounge – permanently.