ACCRINGTON Stanley have swooped to sign ex-England semi-pro international Liam Watson in a stunning five-figure deal from UniBond Premier Division outfit Runcorn.

The 29-year-old hit man has been a long-time target of Reds boss John Coleman who first made an approach for the player last summer.

And the Stanley supremo finally got his man yesterday when chairman Eric Whalley agreed to hand over £10,000 for the former Preston North End striker, who will come to the Crown on a two-and-half-year contract.

Watson goes straight into the Stanley squad for tomorrow's testing trip to Eastwood Town.

And Coleman believes he has found the ideal replacement for leading scorer Gary Williams who left last month to join Doncaster Rovers in a club record £60,000 deal.

"I'm delighted to have signed someone of Liam's calibre.

"He's got plenty of pace, he scores goals and he's got a great pedigree," said Coleman.

"As far as I'm concerned he's one of the best non-League strikers in the North West and I'm amazed that no Conference clubs have made a bid for him in the last couple of years.

"I said when Gary Williams left that we weren't going to rush out and buy somebody just for the sake of it.

"And I think the signing of Liam has justified our patience."

Watson, himself, had little hesitation in making the switch once he knew of Stanley's interest.

And now he is looking forward to the chance of resurrecting his career at the Crown Ground after he had begun to get disenchanted at Runcorn. "At first, my one concern was I didn't want to step down a division at this stage in my career," said Watson.

"But once I met Eric and John I knew coming to Stanley would be a great move.

"A lot of clubs talk about going places but Accrington really want it and I want to be a part of that.

"Runcorn have been really good to me in the fact that they've let me go.

"But I think the way the club had gone and the way they were playing didn't really suit me any more.

"I suppose a few people may be surprised by my decision to step down a division.

"But Runcorn can't go any further as a club whereas Accrington can."

Watson first sprang to prominence as an exciting young striker with Warrington Town which prompted a £50,000 move to Preston North End.

However, a promising career in the professional game was sadly cut short when he was forced to retire after sustaining a badly broken leg.

That prompted a return to non-League football and a scintillating spell with Marine during the mid 1990s earned him a call up to the England semi-pro team.

He then signed for Witton Albion but a cash crisis at Wincham Park prompted his sale to Runcorn three seasons ago, where he has since smashed in nearly 80 goals, including 41 in 1997-98 to become the UniBond's leading scorer. Now he is hoping to make a similar impact at Stanley although he is refusing to set himself any personal targets between now and the end of the season.

"I don't set myself goals because you can end up falling flat on your face," said Watson.

"But, like the rest of the lads, our target is to get promoted.

"We've only got about five away games left so, if we can pick up as many points as we can from them, we'll be in a strong position with a lot of home games to come."

Meanwhile, Coleman reports no injury worries ahead of tomorrow's clash.

And fellow new recruit Gerrard Courtney will also be pushing hard for a place in the starting line-up after impressing as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Flixton last weekend.

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