ACCRINGTON Stanley’s 10-match unbeaten run in League One came to an end at Shrewsbury Town after goalkeeper Connor Ripley was sent off and the Reds slipped to a 1-0 defeat.

For 15 minutes John Coleman’s team looked like picking up where they had left off in three previous wins, peppering the Shrews goal, but the dismissal of the Middlesbrough loanee tipped the game in the home team’s favour.

An unchanged Stanley side came out with huge purpose, with Sam Finley’s low 20-yard drive turned round the post by Town goalkeeper Joel Coleman before Sean McConville’s short corner teed up Jordan Clark to bend an effort narrowly wide of the target.

McConville switched roles moments later, meeting a Scott Brown cross with a stooping header wide.

Former Shrewsbury man Clark was keen to impress against his old team, exchanging passes with Billy Kee and blasting a left foot shot past the right hand post.

It seemed a matter of time before the visitors scored but instead the game was turned on its head.

There were only 15 minutes gone when Coleman’s long punt down the field bounced in the Stanley half and into the D. Striker Lee Angol and the advancing Ripley challenging for the ball, with Angol poking it into the sky, Ripley missing his kick and seeing his hip collide with the Shrewsbury man’s shoulder having had his foot high in the air.

Referee Andy Woolmer spent a good couple of minutes discussing the situation with his assistant before showing Ripley the red card to the horror of the visitors, already unhappy that the official hadn’t penalised a number of early Shrewsbury fouls.

The resulting free kick was driven into the wall, with sub keeper Jonny Maxted dealing comfortably with strikes from Josh Laurent and Alex Gillead and Josh Emmanuel unable to test him with a rasper fired over.

The 10 men weren’t just defending though, with Clark bursting from the half way line and shooting wide and then picking out McConville who couldn’t hit the target.

After the break the sides traded blows with Laurent twice going close and Accrington’s Daniel Barlaser seeing a shot deflected over.

Just after the hour mark the Stanley defence was unpicked with ex Red Shaun Whalley getting the ball from a throw in on the right and crossing for Gilliead who jumped above Clark and Callum Johnson to head the ball beyond Maxted and into the net.

It might have been worse 10 minutes later when two former Stanley men combined as Whalley crossed for Omar Beckles to head over the top.

John Coleman elected to add another striker to the mix with Offrande Zanzala introduced and they continued to produce attacking threat. Good play from McConville and Kee saw the latter lay the ball to Barlaser but his strike was deflected wide.

The added threat left defensive holes though and sub Fejiri Okenabirhie drove over the top, Whalley fizzed one wide and Maxted was forced to save from Beckles as the home team edged closer to a second.

There was no way back for Stanley who were consigned to their first league defeat since the opening day of the season and slipped out of the play-off places.