ANDY Procter scored a captain’s goal to lead Accrington Stanley from the front as they hold a half-time advantage over Aldershot Town at the Crown Ground tonight.

The skipper struck on 30 minutes to give the Reds a deserved lead on their first League Two game of 2010 - and with a shade more composure could have doubled the advantage.

The game got off to a low key opening with little to excite aside from long range efforts from Stanley’s Michael Symes and Aldershot’s Anthony Straker until Jimmy Ryan tried his luck from distance.

And his dipping effort forced a save from Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz.

Symes then hit a post from a Luke Joyce corner as Stanley took the game to the visitors, some 250 miles away from home on a chilly Tuesday night.

But there was always hope for the visitors and their 200-plus travelling fans, as their lone striker Marvin Morgan was a handful - and Stanley keeper Dean Bouzanis was not having one of his most inspired nights but still looked miles better than the eccentric Jaimez-Ruiz, who was beaten on the half hour as Andy Procter finished well from a Ryan cross.

It was a good goal and probably just what Stanley deserved, although there was a sense of worry and panic in their defence when the Shots got their attacking game together with Morgan a real handful.

But Procter missed a much easier chance to make it 2-0 when his free header was straight at the keeper.

Stanley were well in control as the game approached the break but Bouzanis and Phil Edwards failed to talk to each other and Morgan almost took advantage of their mix-up.

But Bouzanis finally dived in to hoof clear after the pair left the clearance to each other.