STANLEY took another massive step towards Conference football with this comprehensive win over a listless Whitby side.

On a bleak, grey afternoon with a chill wind coming from the North Sea barely 100 yards away, Stanley took control of the game early on and the home side rarely threatened.

Stanley had prepared well for the game by staying just down the coast at Scarborough on Saturday night and their professionalism shone through.

There were three changes from the side which drew at Droylsden on Saturday, with the injured Jonathan Smith and Mike Marsh missing and Russell Paine rested. Robin Williams, Andy Gouck and Steve Flitcroft were the men who came in.

All three Stanley goals came from headers. Lutel James headed the first in stoppage time at the end of the first half, when Rory Prendergast's deep cross to the far post was nodded back into the danger area by Andy Proctor.

Before this, another cross - this time headed into the six-yard area by Prendergast - had fallen to James, but the little striker was stretching and scooped the ball over the bar from close range.

Whitby had their best spell just before the break, when Jamie Speare made his only real save of the game to beat away an Aaron Wilford shot and defender Michael Laws shot into the side netting.

Reds' manager John Coleman said after the game: "I thought the lads were magnificent.

"It was a bumpy pitch - as they all are at this stage of the season - but we got the ball down and played some lovely football and that's as good a performance as you will see for a long time."

Paul Mullin, who showed great touch and awareness all through the game, got the second goal with a far post header courtesy of a superb cross from Flitcroft.

And James stooped to conquer the Blues when Flitcroft again provided a curling cross.

James' close-range header signalled the end of the home challenge with 20 still minutes to go.

Speare was a virtual spectator for the second half, as Proctor became more influential in midfield and Steve Halford effectively blunting the occasional threat from Wilford.

Coleman had a broad smile on his face when he went on to add: "We need four points now to be sure and with three home games coming up, I'll be disappointed if we don't get them."

Meanwhile, the Reds salvaged a point with a last minute equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Droylsden the previous day.

Droylsden took the lead on 33 minutes through a Darren Wright free-kick. But Lutel James equalised from the penalty spot two minutes later after Rory Prendergast was brought down.

Wright grabbed a second for the home side in the last minute of normal time. But James produced heroics with the last kick of the game deep into injury time to secure a point for Stanley.

WHITBY TOWN ...0 ACCRINGTON STANLEY ...3

WHITBY TOWN: Campbell, Reid (M Swales 78), Dixon, Williams, Laws, Dunning; S Swales, Gildea (Veart 81), Robinson; Wilford, Ure (Lowe 61)

STANLEY: Speare, Cavanagh, Halford, Williams, Hollis; Flitcroft, Proctor, Gouck (Knowles 77), Prendergast (Welch 80), James (Calcutt 83), Mullin.