DELIGHTED Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman was quick to praise a "superb" performance by two-goal hero Paul Mullin as his side boosted their Nationwide Conference play-off hopes with an important win on the Essex coast.

"I doubt whether you'll see a better centre-forward display than that," said the Reds boss. "Paul was superb, not only in the two goals he scored but also with his general all-round showing."

Coleman was also pleased to see his side keep their first clean sheet since December and, all in all, had every reason to be a happy man as he prepared for the long trip back to Lancashire.

"A second successive win has put us right back in the play-off race," he said. "When we took an early lead we looked comfortable for some time, but every opposition has a spell and Canvey certainly came at us late in the first-half and during the start of the second.

"In fact I thought they might be in line for an equaliser. But we remained strong at the back and, although our second goal was certainly against the run of play, we might have gone on to win by three or four in the end."

It took just six minutes for the Reds to open their account with winger Rory Prendergast racing unmarked onto a Stephen Jagielka through ball on the left and crossing perfectly for Mullin to convert at the near post.

For a while the hosts seemed set to give Prendergast the freedom of the park on the left, but it was new signing David Brown who broke on the other flank to go close with a 25 yard angled effort after 35 minutes.

Canvey gradually hauled themselves back into the game and had their first real worthwhile shot on 39 minutes when wing-back Chris Duffy fired in a shot from the left which Paul Crichton in the visiting goal could only parry for Michael Flynn to complete the clearance.

Then, seconds before the interval, Brown's foul on Steve Burton gave home goal star Lee Boylan the chance to show his shooting skills.

With the ball touched to him 25 yards out by Duffy, Boylan fired in an effort which looked set to give Crichton problems before it struck team-mate Jon Keeling and deflected harmlessly wide.

Although the Islanders had the attacking edge at the start of the second-half, Stanley still offered a major threat in breakaways. They had two early, admittedly somewhat muted, penalty appeals turned down in the opening five minutes.

Then, after 55 minutes, Ian Craney forced Danny Potter in the home goal into a diving save with a well-struck effort from the right.

After 65 minutes the visitors virtually wrapped up the points. Awarded a controversial free-kick on the left, Prendergast was set free down the line and crossed for Mullin to score with a header that flashed across goal and gave Potter no chance.

Canvey continued to be wasteful in their finishing with half-chances, although many attacking moves floundered on the superb Accrington central defensive partnership of Flynn and Robert Williams.

Top home striker Boylan did force Crichton into another good save, with 15 minutes remaining, but Stanley were in no mood to give up their grasp on the points and only a deflection that carried the ball wide stopped Mullin collecting a deserved hat-trick in the closing stages.

But the undoubted match star was more than happy with a two-goal haul which takes his Conference total to 17 for the season and lifts his side from seventh to fourth.

CANVEY (3-5-2): Potter, Theobald, Sedgemore, Sterling, (P Smith 71), Keeling, (Midgley 83) Berquez, Minton, Noto, Duffy, (McDougald 75), Boylan, Burton. Subs not used: Harrison, Mapes. Booked: Keeling (foul 65).

STANLEY: (4-5-1): Crichton, Cavanagh, Williams, Flynn, Butler, Craney, Brown, (J Smith 71), Procter, Jagielka, Prendergast, Mullin. Subs not used: Alcock, Cook, O'Neill, Roberts.

Booked: Jagielka (41), Cavanagh (42), Brown (45),Williams (51) Crichton (83).

Referee: Gavin Ward

Attendance: 525.