BROWN BELTS LATE WINNER
ALATE goal from Scott Brown saw Accrington take all three points against promotion rivals Oxford, with home boss Michael Appleton not holding back as his side slipped to a second successive league defeat.
Brown stole the game with two minutes left as the home side failed to clear their lines and from the edge of the box the midfielder placed his shot past keeper Benjamin Buchel.
Earlier, Billy Kee scored with a long-range header just 49 seconds into the second half to equalise for Accrington after Chris Maguire had opened the scoring.
Accrington finished a man down as centre-back Tom Davies was shown a second yellow, but it failed to dampen boss John Coleman’s mood.
“I’m delighted with the three points,” he said. “Obviously I would have rather finished the match with 11 men but I’ve got no arguments about either yellow.
“Coming from behind here has shown the character of the side.
“We’ve played some excellent football and I thought we controlled the game, especially given the wind.
“But I think we just looked a little bit hesitant in the final third – nervous almost. But we wanted to come away with a win and it’s mission accomplished. The lads did well to show they didn’t just want a point but to push for the win too.”
The blustery conditions were certainly a factor in the game’s opening goal as Oxford were the beneficiaries. Maguire made a seemingly innocuous run on the left wing as the Stanley defenders stood off and his low left-footed cross beat goalkeeper Ross Etheridge to find its way into the bottom corner.
The visitors were trailing at halftime but burst into life in the second half with Kee restoring parity almost immediatly.
With chances few and far between and the score level, Stanley substitute Brayden Shaw came close with his first touch in league football – his volley skimming the roof of the net.
Accrington finished a man down as centre-back Davies was shown a second yellow, and the away side could be forgiven for protecting their hard-earned point.
But Brown’s late effort ensured that Stanley took the spoils back to Lancashire, with Oxford boss Appleton keen to see his players bounce back, with Accrington now breathing down their necks.
“The reality is very clear and we need to work much harder to win games of football,” Appleton said.
“There comes a time in the season when you get questioned and put under a little bit of pressure and the players will stand up to that now.They all know my message to them has been very clear.
“I want us to get back to what we were doing in the first part of the season – it’s about doing the basics well.
“We got exactly what we deserved here.
“We didn’t deal with the conditions well enough and the players know that.”