IT was a good day to be a Procter at Broadhall Way.

Young Archie enjoyed all the pre-match build up from the pitch as Accrington Stanley’s mascot for the afternoon, while around two hours later cousin Andy was netting a crucial goal to send the Reds home with a point.

Procter the player and Terry Gornell struck in the last two minutes at Stevenage to cancel out the home side’s lead and ensure that the game ended 2-2.

It was a final score that would have been hard to predict with half an hour of play gone.

A Stanley side showing three changes from the midweek draw with Morecambe started slowly and were behind in the seventh minute.

Stevenage centre back Jon Ashton sent a high ball down the right channel where Byron Harrison had got beyond Reds defender Sean Hessey.

The striker needed no further invitation to let the ball bounce and lash it beyond Ian Dunbavin into the top left corner of the net before Phil Edwards could get across to block.

It was a catastrophic start, but fortunately for John Coleman’s side the home team didn’t press home their advantage.

Stanley looked to feel their way back into the game, trying to keep possession. Playing against a strong wind it was a difficult task, but as the half wore on their labours began to bear fruit.

Ian Craney drilled the ball across the face of the goal on 31 minutes.

Jimmy Ryan was prowling at the back post and connected with the ball, only to see it deflect off a defender into the side-netting.

There were signs of Stanley kicking into gear then, but there were scares too at the other end.

Dunbavin kept the deficit at one on the stroke of half time. Lawrie Wilson crossed and the lively Harrison met it with a fierce shot, but the Stanley goalkeeper got down well to parry.

After the restart things were cagier than ever with Craney drilling a free kick into the wall.

Stanley’s momentum seemed to be slipping, and the home team extended their lead qhwn Wilson headed down a long ball from the back.

Beardsley got to it before Hessey, diverting the ball back into the path of Wilson. The former Chester man accelerated away from Edwards and stroked the ball into the bottom right corner. It seemed like game over.

Except that it wasn’t. With Ray Putterill on for the injured Ryan and Rory Boulding replacing Richardson, Stanley were going for broke and with two minutes left their adventure paid off.

Boulding laid off Putterill’s long pass into the path of Gornell on the edge of the box, and the striker got his shot away, only to see it come off the post and out. But Lady Luck was smiling as it came back off Day and over the line for the 21-year-old’s 10th goal of the season.

Now Stevenage were rattled and with good reason as the equaliser came just two minutes later.

The Reds won a corner from the far side, Stevenage pulled everyone back and Craney went across to take it.

The delivery arched towards the back post, where Gornell headed down and Boulding played it back to Procter, who hammered it low beyond the despairing dive of Day and inside the left post.

Stanley have all too often fallen victim to late goals this season, but this time they were the beneficiaries and the celebrations of their captain’s second of the season reflected that.

Young Archie must have been proud.

Stanley: Ian Dunbavin, Dean Winnard, Phil Edwards, Sean Hessey, Joe Jacobson (Craig Lindfield 88), Charlie Barnett, Andy Procter, Leam Richardson (Rory Boulding 72), Jimmy Ryan (Ray Putterill 52), Ian Craney, Terry Gornell. Subs not used: Alex Cisak, Peter Murphy, Luke Joyce, Sean McConville.

Stevenage: Chris Day, Ronnie Henry, Jon Ashton, Mark Roberts, Scott Laird, Lawrie Wilson, John Mousinho, Michael Bostwick (Luke Foster 88), Peter Winn (Rob Sinclair 59), Byron Harrison, Craig Reid (Chris Beardsley 59). Subs not used: Ashley Bayes, Darius Charles, Stacy Long, Luke Daley.

Referee: Andy D'Urso.

Attendance: 2,265.