JAMES Beattie believes Accrington Stanley can begin to climb the League Two table after admitting the club’s relief at finally securing their first league win of the season.

Stanley came from a goal down to claim a 2-1 victory at home to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night, ending a 12-match winless start to their league campaign.

The Reds remain bottom of the table but are now only three points from moving out of the relegation zone and Beattie is confident his side can build on their midweek triumph, having now lost only one of their last five games. They travel to Morecambe on Saturday.

“It’s such a relief for the lads,” the Stanley boss said about the club’s first league win.

“I’m really pleased for them because they’ve stuck at it and put in some good performances and hadn’t really got the rewards they deserved.

“As I said all along I have faith in the squad. We don’t carry ourselves like we’re a team that’s bottom of the league. Team spirit’s excellent and it always has been.

“We’ve got our first win but nobody’s going to get carried away.

“We’ll keep doing the things that we’ve been doing, training hard and believing in what we’re trying to do.

“I’ve never had any doubts. Other people have had doubts and have been quick to share them with me.

“Fortunately people that know football know what’s going on here and it’s not just a quick fix, it’s for the long term.

“I believe if we go out there, express ourselves and play how we train, we’ll win more games than we lose and that’s starting to come through now.”

Kal Naismith and Northern Ireland under 21 international James Gray, pictured, were the scorers against Bristol Rovers.

For Naismith, it was his first goal for Stanley since arriving from Rangers in the summer.

“I’ve said to the players on a number of occasions that if I could give them confidence on a plate or they could drink it, I’d be giving it to them every day,” Beattie said.

“But it’s the stuff they do on the pitch which is going to generate that.

“One of the main things I’ve learned is to portray to the lads how confident I am in them. I believe if I’m confident then it will filter through.

“Kal is a very talented player, I spoke to him the other day for about an hour.

“We had a chat and he said what can I do to get into the side, which is an excellent approach for a young talented footballer.

“He’s got back into the side and he’s scored a goal. It’s lifted a weight off his shoulders.

“James Gray has been another one. He has been very disappointed, I remember at the Newport game when he wasn’t involved.

“It’s hard to keep everybody happy but that’s my job and James has come to me for a lot of advice.

“We’re trying to develop the physical side of his game and make him enjoy it. That was one of the elements that I enjoyed and he’s brought that into his game and it makes him more of a threat.

“I had a glowing report from his under 21 manager last week who said he was outstanding in both games for Northern Ireland.

“He’s come back and continued in that vein.”