Leek Town 2 Accrington Stanley 1

THE visitors were just four minutes away from claiming a vital point from this UniBond Premier League match.

League leaders Leek can count themselves a little lucky not to have dropped two points after this spirited display by the visitors.

They Stanley started briskly on a hard pitch and forced a corner that was cleared by the Leek defence.

Then Soley hit a free kick over the bar before hitting an unstoppable shot from a Stanley clearance that was allowed to bounce at just the right height for him to strike the ball beautifully into the corner of the net from 25 yards to give Leek a 1-0 lead. An Edmunds ball in from the right was caught by keeper Bullock. Leek had most of the play in the first 20 minutes, but a good corner on the left was rifled home by Peter Smith after the ball had run loose to take the Reds in level at half time.

The early second half saw little goalmouth action other than several free kicks being wasted by both sides. Smith had a cross from the right well held by Bullock then Baurass put a good through ball to Eastwood who shot over. He then hit the bar with a curling shot from the edge of the box.

Stanley's Robertson had an excellent corner somehow cleared from under the bar as they began to look like they would come away with a point, but on 86 minutes Filson hit a lucky overhead kick straight to the unmarked Bancroft who hit the ball first time into the corner of the net to give the points to Leek.

Stanley's subs were Welch (82 minutes), Walsh (85), Greenwood (89) for Ormerod, Rogerson and Molloy.

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