Accrington Stanley came from a goal down at half-time to beat under par Town 2-1 at the Wham Stadium. Macauley Bonne gave the Blues the lead in the 38th minute with his eighth goal of the season but the home side netted through Colby Bishop and Harry Pell on 50 and 79 to deservedly claim the points.

Macauley Bonne’s eighth goal of the season has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead over Accrington Stanley at the Wham Stadium.

Town boss Paul Cook named the same team which thrashed Doncaster 6-0 on Tuesday, while Kyle Edwards and Toto Nsiala returned to the 18 after injury.

On a slippery pitch following morning rain, Stanley saw most of the ball in the early minutes but on five Bersant Celina threaded a ball through for Bonne but Accrington keeper Toby Savin was out quickly to clear.

The home side continued to have most of the possession but on nine Bonne chased a ball down the middle which Savin sent straight up in the air as he sought to clear. The striker got his head on the ball as the keeper tried to punch clear but it looped well over. At the other end, home skipper Sean McConville blazed well over from outside the box.

On 15, following the Blues’ first real spell of possession of the afternoon, Wes Burns intercepted an under-hit Stanley pass midway inside their half and fed Bonne to his right but the Zimbabwean international’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.

Chances had been non-existent at both ends but on 26 Evans played a ball through for Bonne which skipped off the surface through to Savin. On a drier pitch the striker would have reached it before the keeper.

The game continued in the same pattern with both sides having spells on the ball but without finding a way into the final third.

However, in the 38th minute, the Blues went ahead via the only serious chance of the first half.

Scott Fraser intercepted a David Morgan pass down the Accrington right and tried to find Bonne. The ball was stabbed back to the former MK Dons man by Michael Nottingham and the Scot turned it into Celina, who played into the path of Bonne on the left of the area and the on-loan QPR man confidently stroked past the advancing Savin to claim his eighth goal of the season.

The striker from Chantry wasn’t too far away from his ninth in the 40th minute when he was allowed to take down a long kick from Vaclav Hladky but his first touch took it just too far away from him and Savin was able to gather.

Bonne attempted to replicate his last-gasp goal against Sheffield Wednesday as the Stanley striker prepared to kick but Savin spotted him and the two shared laugh.

Neither side threatened again before a busy if not overly entertaining half was brought to a close.

Bonne’s well-crafted and confidently finished goal had been the only real chance during a half in which both sides had struggled to show the guile to find a way through the opposition.

The Blues weren’t far away from doubling their lead a minute after the restart. With rain again falling steadily, Morsy found Fraser on the left with a superb cross-field ball and the Scot crossed to Bonne at the near post but the striker met it at the same time as Savin, who was able to force it behind for a corner.

However, in the 50th minute, Stanley equalised. Following a throw on the right, a cross from Yeboah Amankwah was flocked on through a crowd of players by former Colchester man Pell and Bishop hit a shot on the turn across Hladky and into the corner of the net.

The Blues found themselves under some pressure as the hour mark approached, Janoi Donacien blocking brilliantly from Pell on the edge of the box before Nottingham shot over from 25 yards.

Town had been unable to play much football and had threatened little since half-time and it was little surprise when manager Cook, a former Accrington player and manager, made changes with Celina, who had been quiet since creating Town’s goal, and Fraser swapped for Rekeem Harper and Edwards.

But it was the home side who would create the next opportunity, Bishop turning and hitting a shot which Hladky was forced to turn over the bar. As Stanley prepared to take the corner, the Czech keeper and Pell clashed and referee Martin Coy spoke to them but kept his cards in his pocket.

Accrington continued to take the game to Town, as they had for much of the half with the Blues unable to get the ball down and string passes together, and in the 71st minute Lee Evans got in the way of a Pell shot from the edge of the area.

Moments later, Donacien was hit full in the face by a cross and required treatment before the corner was taken and then after Sam Sherring had headed wide from the flag-kick.

Stanley had been on top since the break and in the 79th minute they went in front. McConville sent over a cross from the right and Pell got in front of Donacien - perhaps feeling the effects of the blow to the head - to volley past Hladky from a couple of yards inside the penalty area. On the balance of the second half, Town could hardly complain.

Having conceded their second goal, and having made little headway prior to that, Town switched Evans for James Norwood.

The Blues huffed and puffed in the closing stages as they looked for an equaliser, Burns hitting an 88th-minute shot from a very tight angle high and wide with Savin out of his goal.

The game briefly boiled over soon afterwards after Town claimed Bonne had been fouled then Morsy made a strong challenge on an Accrington player. A confrontation involving members of both teams followed with Norwood and Conneely both booked.

Town were unable to threaten again before the end and once again left the Wham Stadium, which has become something of a bogey ground in recent seasons, having been defeated.

Cook’s men got their noses in front in a first half in which there had been little between the sides but after the break struggled to make headway against a physical and determined Accrington team, who were worthy of their victory.

Aside from Bonne’s clinically taken goal, Town didn’t manage a shot on target, while at the other end the defensive frailties which appeared to becoming a thing of the past were again in evidence.

The Blues looked to have taken a big step forward with the 6-0 home win against Doncaster but today’s defeat to Accrington - the type of opponent they have struggled against ever since their relegation to League One - is a stumble in the other direction.

Town are next in action on Tuesday in the Papa John’s Trophy at Gillingham and then in League One at home to Shrewsbury next Saturday.

Accrington: Savin, Sherring, Hamilton, Butcher, Pell, Bishop, McConville, Nottingham, Conneely (c), Morgan, Amankwah. Unused: Trafford, O'Sullivan, Leigh, Mansell, Nolan, Clark, Malcolm.

Town: Hladky, Donacien, Edmundson, Burgess, Penney, Evans (Norwood 80), Morsy (c), Burns, Celina (Harper 64), Fraser (Edwards 64), Bonne. Unused: Holy, Nsiala, Aluko, Chaplin. Referee: Martin Coy (Durham). Att: 2,600 (Town: 846).

Photo: Pagepix

TractorBeezer added 17:58 - Oct 2 Tactics? We were playing combination of hoof ball and playing ball backwards. Unfortunately Accrington deserved it today.
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algarvefan added 18:00 - Oct 2 I wonder how many on here actually see the game before commenting, I suspect not many. I agree with blues1 Accrington having been humiliated midweek did a job on us and stopped us from playing. What bothers me is our inability to change during a game, the way we play. I think had we had an extra striker up front we would have been well ahead at half time, it was never going to be an easy game, no game at Accrington ever is for us, their team of giants wee quicker to close down that we were. We have to learn how to change our game against a team intent intiailly on stopping us playing. Those of you describing our defence as terrible obviously didn't watch the game, we defended well but in midfield yet again no creativity, no drive and not enough 'bite' we are still learning but today was certainly the dustcart after the Lord Mayors Show.

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atty added 18:04 - Oct 2 Crap,for years. Absolute torture. Then a ew era, great new owners, a good senior management structure, a cull of bang average player, new and better players brought in, the strongest squad in the division, and fantastic support.Whats the missing ingredient? 🤔
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blueboy1981 added 18:06 - Oct 2 I've managed and been involved in Football most of my life at various levels, and if you take the lead it puts you in the driving seat, whatever level you are at the game is the same. Defending a lead is far easier than taking it, and in my opinion it's all then about pushing on from that point, keeping the discipline, and stepping up your game. The fact we don't has to be down to and shouldered by the Manager. This is the point Cook seems to be lost for ideas, not only this but his tactics and substitutions are often are totally confusing. I hope I'm wrong for his, ours, and the new Owners sake that I'm wrong - but I think without Richardson he is genuinely lost in terms of getting the best out of this squad. Is there a Manager in League 1 that wouldn't dream of having this squad at his Club ? - I very much doubt it .... !!!

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Lathers added 18:10 - Oct 2 He brought in all these players so give Cook until after the Wycombe game. That's 6 games. 16 in total for the season. He probably needs 14 or 15 points from those 6 games but worth having a chat with Chris Wilder in the meantime!
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ringwoodblue added 18:23 - Oct 2 Today's result taken in isolation is not that bad or surprising as anyone can beat anyone in this crazy league. However, if we look at our first 10 games, the result that looks to be the isolated case is the 6-0 win against Donny as all the others have been underwhelming or damn right dreadful. I think we will soon see how the owners see this project they have invested in - are they happy to use this season as a rebuilding year with no chance of promotion or are they more impatient with nothing less than play-offs / promotion being acceptable? Without Bonne, we would be rock bottom by now as he is consistently our stand out performer. All the others have good spells or the odd good game, but there is no consistency whatsoever.

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fizzyblue added 18:48 - Oct 2 They packed out the midfield and ground us down into a scrappy, awful game of football. Our players were kicked pulled and knocked about and we didn't like it nor could we compete. Tactics needed to be changed in the first 10 minutes as it was obvious we weren't getting anything out of the game. Someone to drop deeper and receive the ball off the midfield and defense would have been nice, as our negative sideways and backwards passing was the result of being pinned back. We were crying out for someone to come on, pick up the ball from the mid and drive at the opposition and create (aluko could have done a job there). Our goal was some what lucky as was against the run of play and other than some breaks from Wes burns (great player I'm his day and one of our best signing in my opinion) we posed little threat. I called it a while back that cook needs a number 2 such as Mcgreal, to spot things early and encourage a change. Problem is that should that happen results improve then the number 2 gets the plaudits thus taking the limelight away from cook. Not gunna happen!!! One could argue that the players let the manager down today. But on the other hand the manager still has a job to lift the players, spot anomalies in our play and instigate change EARLY as to get the best outcome.

5

fizzyblue added 18:49 - Oct 2 They packed out the midfield and ground us down into a scrappy, awful game of football. Our players were kicked pulled and knocked about and we didn't like it nor could we compete. Tactics needed to be changed in the first 10 minutes as it was obvious we weren't getting anything out of the game. Someone to drop deeper and receive the ball off the midfield and defense would have been nice, as our negative sideways and backwards passing was the result of being pinned back. We were crying out for someone to come on, pick up the ball from the mid and drive at the opposition and create (aluko could have done a job there). Our goal was some what lucky as was against the run of play and other than some breaks from Wes burns (great player I'm his day and one of our best signing in my opinion) we posed little threat. I called it a while back that cook needs a number 2 such as Mcgreal, to spot things early and encourage a change. Problem is that should that happen results improve then the number 2 gets the plaudits thus taking the limelight away from cook. Not gunna happen!!! One could argue that the players let the manager down today. But on the other hand the manager still has a job to lift the players, spot anomalies in our play and instigate change EARLY as to get the best outcome.

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Billysherlockblue added 18:51 - Oct 2 Simply put. We got bullied by a bang average team. No grit afraid to put body on the line for your team. Again we were tactically poor but im not blaming cook for this result. Im blaming my favourite football players who did not give everything on the field. Celine woeful. Timid. I could go on.we stopped playing and harrying. Standing off instead of snapping at their heels. Acc. Stanley were woeful but we were worse. Players should hold up their hands and be ashamed of themselves. I dont blame cook one bit for this result. I.T.F.C. PLAYERS HOLD YOUR HEADS WITH SHAME! Ps well done to our travelling support as usual fantastic. Im so fed up im not even angry and thats sad for me🤢 super blues forever 💙

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Bert added 18:55 - Oct 2 I watched it and it was not good. Negative from the start and outplayed and outfought in the second half. We never play well at small grounds. If we cannot beat a team who have third world revenue coming in, and are in a run of poor form then does that suggest we have players who can only be inspired on a bigger stage ? I hope not but the players should be ashamed of that performance today and Cook needs to deal with it. Reimburse the 800 supporters from the players pockets.

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Suffolkboy added 18:59 - Oct 2 Everything to date says this Cook man is a sham ! Find someone with genuine qualities and strategical understanding , coaching and tactical ability and who will stand out and stand up as a man of integrity and principle ,clearly able and willing to define and analyse the shortcomings and remedies . I'm certain I'll not be the only one fed up with platitudes ! It's turning from a farce into a tragedy ! Get into action Mr A ,and Mr Chairman - soon ! COYB

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midastouch added 19:05 - Oct 2 I really want to believe in Cook but performances like this do nothing whatsoever to help the cause! It's feels like yet another case of 1 step forwards followed by 2 steps back! One of the new owners said in the week how the train has already left the station. Well Town feel like a locomotive with a stuttering bad cold, i.e. a choo choo train! And, if we don't start to pick up more wins on our journey very soon I fear we're going to be delayed in League One for a good while yet! The amount of times we've run into the buffers already this season is definitely a major cause for concern! I would have liked Town to have gambled on Kieron Dyer rather than Cook, I've not seen much as yet to make me change my mind. Alternatively, I certainly wouldn't mind Burley to take over for a season or two with Dyer and Butcher as his assistants, with a view to Dyer taking over in a couple of seasons time. However, the new owners seem to have gone all in on Cook but so far he's over promised and under delivered! How many more results like today before he finds himself drinking in last chance saloon?

3

bluesince76 added 19:19 - Oct 2 Time up had enough cook out.
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dirtydingusmagee added 19:47 - Oct 2 Lathers a lot of people have said give Cook 10 GAMES,he has had those [and more] and is failing, surely you are not suggesting another six . He has potentially the strongest squad in Lge1 and is not getting the results talk is all very well but its results that matter.
6

brittaniaman added 19:52 - Oct 2 What has happened to Ashton,??? no sign of him lately, in pre-season he was here there and every where His Governors must be wondering what is happening to there investment, certainly not going to the plan they thought so far. 10 its. from 10 games is Relegation form. But still we have got 3 quarters of the season to go thank goodness
2

jas0999 added 19:53 - Oct 2 Bert - great point. The outstanding 800+ supporters should be reimbursed.
7

Monkey_Blue added 20:24 - Oct 2 Don't worry, we are at home to Shrewsbury next week. We can flatter to deceive again. It still amazes me how lucky we've been with the fixture list. That's what makes the poor points return so shocking. The 6-0 really was flattering. Donnie threw in the towel. Cook in his post match said “I never make excuses for players”… which is the opposite of “Im never one for criticising players”. He's always looking for an excuse and has used every one in the book to avoid taking the blame himself. Why were the players so poor today? They are individuals so they can't all have individually decided to not turn up. At his age and having knocked around the lower leagues for all his management career he probably sees this as his big chance and wants to cling onto it…. It's not going well is it? My fear is he'll cling on to the job until it's too late to rescue the season. I have no worries about relegation yet but things don't improve and I will. Cooks points per game in 28 games has been about 1…. That's relegation battle form over a full season.

12

dirtydingusmagee added 22:01 - Oct 2 Just because Cook has managed teams to promotion dosnt mean he will do it again, his record since being appointed to Town has been really poor, and he is eating into the season, .Surely alarm bells are ringing with the new owners, People have said ignore last seasons games , the pre season results, the cup results ,now are we to also to ignore his first 10 lge games .How long does he have to fail before fans can say enough is enough, We have already had over a decade of failure.

7

runaround added 22:02 - Oct 2 Not good enough. If we are serious about promotion we need to be winning games like this Need a winning run to start
3

shakytown added 22:38 - Oct 2 once again Cook is completely outthought in the second half and either unable or unwilling to change his awful system. Tick Tock.
6

multiplescoregasms added 00:12 - Oct 3 It is very difficult to say anything positive about what is going on. I appreciate that it was only Doncaster, but if a 6-0 win in front of your own fans cheering on everything you do, cannot give you the belief and confidence to go out there 4 days later and play positively, then there is something seriously wrong, not just with the management side, but with the mental attitude of the players. Or maybe they just aren't good enough. Sad times are here to stay.

3

Minneapolis_ITFC added 02:48 - Oct 3 Any team that eyes a promotion requires consistency, belief and enough motivation from the manager. We don't have that, it's not something we posses. People can argue long and hard and give defense to Cook and the players but that's about the measure of it. Sure there'll be a few, and i mean a few, bonuses along the way such as whacking the bottom place team out of sight like before but the bigger picture is something of a concern. Can't help but notice levels of animosity for Cook and what's more I can't quite fault you for it. His record since joining is sub-standard. All right he's had a few encouraging games and performances but the negatives far outweigh the good points. How do you lose to an opposition that''s only claim to fame was a long-gone milk commercial and play in front of fans that has as much attendance / stadium capacity as figures in the Scotland first division. I should be embarrassed but been with it all long enough now to accept there's really few surprises or letdowns left to be had. Lambert leaving along with the ass Evans should have been a new start. New team, new coach, new owners, but I side with reason not nationality. It's tough at times to see any real difference from six months back. The team is new, but they don't have the inclination to succeed or can't string together a winning run. That for me seriously jeopardizes any promotion chance the team can hope to achieve.

2

Oldboy added 08:24 - Oct 3 As someone who did the trip yesterday, I deserved better. Poor, flat performance. Not good enough.
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dirtydingusmagee added 09:03 - Oct 3 the people that are always bigging up Cook and slagging off fans that are sick of failure are very quiet, but IF we manage to beat the Shrews, they will be back like he is the Messiah.
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Kirbmeister added 09:48 - Oct 3 We were out fought and out played. Some of the players just think they just have to turn up and these teams will roll over. We played hoof ball all afternoon. So poor. The only player who came out of the game with any credit was Donacien.
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