WHILE the players lined up for their flu jabs after the game, you were left wondering exactly what was administered to them at half-time.

After a truly forgettable first half, in which both goalkeepers might as well have been spectators, Accrington Stanley emerged from the interval like a side that had had a rocket fuel injection.

And it had the desired effect as Paul Mullin got the second half underway by ending his goal drought.

The Reds striker had gone seven Conference games without a goal until a fortuitous deflection left him with a tap-in to halt that miserly streak. Just what the doctor ordered for the club's leading scorer.

"It's been a while since I scored, so that was a relief. But, more importantly, we needed to win," Mullin said.

"It was a tight first half and probably a bit of a non-event because there wasn't much at either end.

"John (Coleman) shook us up at half-time and there was a bit more enthusiasm in the second half, which I think might have been missing in the first."

The least said about the first half, the better.

Three early Mike Flynn long throws put Canvey Island under pressure as the defender launched the ball into the box, but all the deliveries were dealt with by the defence.

The Gulls had their best chance on 12 minutes when Chris Duffy drove to the byeline but scooped the ball into Paul Crichton's hands.

Just after the half-hour, a Chris Butler throw from deep inside the Canvey half bounced kindly for Lee McEvilly in the area. The striker did well to retain possession despite being bundled over by his marker, who he shook off before forcing keeper Danny Potter into a low save.

That was about as good as it got before the break.

But there was a determination about Stanley in the second half, even in the way they strode out of the dressing rooms.

Just a minute after the re-start, Steve Flitcroft made a penetrating run to the byeline and pulled the ball back for McEvilly. His shot crashed off central defender Dominic Sterling but Mullin was poised to tickle the ball over the line.

Canvey had a decent spell in response to going behind and Robbie Williams blocked a Keeling shot.

The visitors had the wind taken out of their sails when right winger Duffy was the victim of a firm but fair Butler challenge and played no further part in the game.

Replacement Ollie Berquez, however, proved more than capable of causing a stir as their line-up switched from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2, and Berquez tested Crichton with a low 30-yard drive.

Stanley took control again and McEvilly was frustrated to steer his header wide from a good Flitcroft corner.

Rory Prendergast made his first appearance for over a month following a hernia operation in the hope that his pace and deliveries would prompt a second goal in the final 15 minutes.

He wasn't involved when Mullin sent a delightful chip into McEvilly's path only for the striker to lift his shot over the bar with only the keeper to beat.

But his cross led to McEvilly's final chance. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't the 22-year-old's day as he blazed over from six yards.

Ian Craney then benefited from another Prendergast delivery, this time after the wide man recovered from a foul to take a free kick from the left but he curled his effort high of the target.

Two late Canvey corners tested Stanley's nerve, but the defence held out to record their eighth clean sheet of the season and the Reds' third win in 11 league games.