FULL-TIME: Accrington Stanley 4, Gillingham 3
5:00pm Saturday 28th January 2012 in Football
ACCRINGTON Stanley got off to a winning start in their first game of the post-John Coleman era, but they had to survive a nervy finale.
On-loan striker Michael Smith led the way with a first-half hat-trick and assist for Luke Joyce as the Reds led 4-1 at the break.
Caretaker manager Leam Richardson named an unchanged line-up from last weekend's 0-0 draw at Aldershot.
And there were goals galore after Smith put the Reds in front in less than a minute, firing Padraig Amond's delivery into the roof of the net in a crowded six-yard box.
Gillingham equalised courtesy of Danny Jackman's 25-yard free kick into the top right corner in the seventh minute.
But Smith restored the Reds' lead in the 19th, when his low strike from the edge of the box bobbled past goalkeeper Ross Flitney.
The Charlton Athletic loanee was on hand to set up Luke Joyce to score from similar distance just after the half-hour.
Smith completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half-time and Stanley looked set for a comfortable win.
But Gavin Tomlin scored twice in the second half, the first after a mistake by Ian Dunbavin in the box, to set up a nervous ending, but the Reds held out to guarantee moving up in to seventh spot tonight.
