ACCRINGTON Stanley manager John Coleman admitted he felt sick after watching his side draw against Chester City.

But it had nothing to do with post-festive celebrations. Nor was he suffering from a bout of man flu as a result of the recent wintery weather.

And he couldn't blame the nasty norovirus, which causes projectile vomiting and diarrhoea, and is expected to affect half a million people throughout the country this month, costing companies up to £800 million.

His nausea was caused by the players in his team, who twice surrendered a lead after coming from behind, costing them three valuable points.

After the match, Coleman said: "To take the lead twice and get pegged back twice, it's sickening. I feel physically sick.

"I don't want to say too much because I'll end up swearing, but that was absolutely rank, bad defending.

"I've never been as disappointed after a football match. I keep going to new levels. Just when I think I've hit rock bottom, we go lower."

But it will take more than a few paracetamols or pain killers and a week's rest and relaxation in bed to solve Stanley's inability to defend properly.

And, in any case, home is probably the last place Coleman will want to be given his side's continuous problems at the Fraser Eagle Stadium - a worrying record on home soil in the league that reads won: five, lost: eight.

The Reds were behind in this match; level, in front, level and in front again with only 17 minutes to go.

But just when the loud and loyal band of Stanley fans - including a certain England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, watching from the stands to back his friend, Reds goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin - started believing this could be their first home win in 2008, the curse of the defence struck again.

They had to be happy with a six-goal thriller and a share of the spoils in their first home draw of the season.

It was harsh on them and particularly harsh on Ian Craney, Stanley's midfield maestro, who admittedly took some time to warm up on an ice cold afternoon in East Lancashire, but once he got going, showed why the Reds have forked out a club record fee for him.

And the prodigal son went some way to re-paying that £85,000 with a hand in all three of Stanley's goals. A goal, an assist, and the initial free-kick that got his side back into a match that was in danger of passing them by completely.

Nobody deserved a win bonus more than the Scouser. And while his manager hailed his performance after the game, he admitted there was very little even someone of Craney's ability could do when teams are able to score at will against his side.

"I think he's a very good player otherwise I wouldn't have bought him," said Coleman. "But there's no point in having really good players if you can't defend properly."

Craney was the only change to the Stanley side that suffered at the hands of Bradford on New Year's Day, the 25-year-old coming in for John Miles, who was on the bench.

And for the first three minutes they looked full of purpose against a Chester side that had lost their last three matches.

Given a rare opportunity to attack the Clayton End in the first half Roscoe Dsane flashed in on goal, but was thwarted by the linesman's flag.

Then, inexplicably, the Reds fell to pieces.

The defensive partnership of Mark Roberts and Sean Webb, who signed an extension to his deal during the week keeping him at Stanley until the end of the season, crumbled, as City scored with their first attack of the game.

It was the Northern Ireland international who conceded a free-kick on the left. Laurence Wilson swung it in and Paul Linwood must have thought it was a belated Christmas present as he rose at the back post completely unmarked to head the ball back across for Chris Holroyd to scramble in his first of the afternoon.

Indeed, the Reds didn't start playing again until almost the half-hour mark, by which time they could easily have been three goals behind, Richie Partridge guilty of missing two sitters, as Chester threatened to run amock.

On the rare occasion that the Reds managed to get out their own half, Dsane squandered a good chance when he chose to pass the ball rather than take a shot at goal.

But the tide was eventually turning and Andy Procter lashed in his ninth goal of the season when Craney's free-kick wasn't cleared. It was a crisp volley from the left side of the area that sent the home support into raptures - however undeserved it may have been.

Unbelievably, Craney could have sent the Reds in ahead at the break when Paul Mullin unselfishly played the ball into his path, but his right foot effort was pulled past the post.

Whatever Coleman said to his side at half-time, it worked, as they started the second half like men possessed.

Dsane squandered the first chance, but he was proving a handful. And he was in the thick of the action on 62 minutes when Stanley took the lead.

The former AFC Wimbledon frontman raced in on goal but had his shot blocked. However, when the ball fell to Craney, he made no mistake, showing a calm touch to loft the ball into the back of the net.

The lead, though, lasted just a matter of minutes. Kevin Roberts' low cross was headed out by Mark Roberts only as far as Wilson, who bent a sublime shot into the top right hand corner, past the despairing Ian Dunbavin.

But the game soon swung back in Stanley's favour and it was Dsane who got the goal his efforts deserved. Craney was again at the heart of the move, firing over a corner that Dsane headed in at the front post.

Game over?

Unfortunately not for Stanley.

Holroyd had the final say in the matter, poking home a Partridge free kick at the back post.