UNIBOND LEAGUE CUP GROUP 4

ACC'TON STANLEY...3

RADCLIFFE BORO'...1

TWO Radcliffe Borough old boys did little to aid the recovery of the watching Kevin Glendon at the Crown Ground on Wednesday.

Two goals from Simon Carden and one from Paul Mullin in a 3-1 Stanley victory mean that Borough are unlikely to qualify for the quarter-final stage of any of the League's Cup competition.

A semi-frozen pitch meant that control was difficult but Borough managed to produce some neat football in the first half without really threatening.

In fact, neither goalkeeper was seriously tested with goal-mouth action at a premium.

The nearest to a goal in the first period came after 23 minutes when Jody Banim showed good close control but his 25-yard shot drifted just wide.

The second half started in controversial style with Stanley centre-half Smith escaping with a yellow card after fouling Banim, who was in on goal.

Borough grabbed the lead only three minutes after the break when Banim broke down the left and squared the ball for Lee Kissock to beat Speare from close range.

As Accrington stepped up the pace, they were helped by a couple of poor clearances by Borough keeper Danny Hurst, although he did redeem himself by quickly closing down Carden. Stanley's equaliser came after 58 minutes when Hurst failed to hold Smith's header and Mullin was on hand to turn the ball home.

Borough continued to pass the ball around neatly but lacked Stanley's cutting edge and the home side took the lead on 66 minutes.

A through-ball over the Borough defence found Carden, who skilfully lifted it over Hurst and into the net.

Hurst almost gifted Stanley a third with a poor throw out but managed to grab Smith's 30-yard effort, but Accrington were not to be denied and increased their lead in the 70th minute.

Again Carden latched on to a long-ball - this time directly from goalkeeper Speare - to deftly clip the ball over Hurst into the net.

Despite a couple of near misses from substitute Ian Lunt and Banim, Stanley never looked seriously threatened and it was their more clincial finishing which saw them to a comfortable victory.

Boro: Hurst 6, Battersby 7, Whealing 7, S Kelly 7, Bean 7, Dempese 6, Elliott 6, S Wilson 6, Kissock 6, Banim 6, Price 7. Subs: Lunt (for Kissock 70) 6. Not used: G. Wilson, Landon.