ACCRINGTON Stanley will be glad if Northwich Victoria move to their new stadium as Wincham Park is not proving a happy hunting ground for the Reds.

Northwich, saved from relegation by a late reprieve last season although now in administration, are sharing with Witton Albion while their new ground is being built around the corner.

Last season, John Coleman's side were involved in a 3-3 draw against the struggling Vics with all six goals coming in the first 36 minutes - in a game Stanley should have won.

And it was deja vu on Tuesday night as there was another six-goal thriller - and this time Northwich should have been dead and buried by half-time.

Instead reminders of last season came floating back as a Stanley player saw red for the first time this season and the Vics managed to claw a point out of the game they should have been out of with two penalties.

And both were converted by former Scarborough striker Mark Quayle who, to sum up Stanley's luck, hadn't scored for his new side up until that point.

The decision to send Robbie Williams off on 84 minutes was the main talking point especially as the referee had made some debatable decisions in a stop-start game.

Defender Williams was dismissed for a second bookable offence following a tackle on the edge of the area on former Rochdale winger Phil Hadland.

He did lunge at the player - the ref felt it was two-footed although Williams was insistent he got the ball first.

However, the penalty was given, Williams saw red, Northwich equalised and the whole incident was greeted with bemusement among Accrington fans, players and management alike.

"We have been cheated," fumed Coleman. "It is not a penalty and not a sending off. If he has deemed it a dangerous challenge then it's not a penalty kick but an indirect free kick - those are the rules of the game.

"Rocky has won the ball but the referee has had it in for us all night. I have made a vow not to speak about referees as there is no point but I feel horrible. It is another sickener."

Coleman accepted the first penalty which was awarded after Peter Cavanagh was judged to have pushed Jonny Allan following a Hadland cross when Stanley were 3-1up.

"We were so much in control of the game, then a sloppy back pass, a cross and then it is debatable if it was a penalty but Cav has got the wrong side of the lad. You can live with that.

"I know we have had a bit of luck ourselves this season, so you can't complain, but the first has given them a lifeline back into the game.

"The second was out of our hands.

"We have played 50 per cent in giving them a point while the referee has played the other fifty per cent.

"All refs are entitled to have bad games and unforunately we have suffered for it."

While the man in black didn't help, Stanley could have had the game sewn up long before the last 15 minutes of controversy.

The travelling fans were treated to some great finishing from the Reds as they took charge of the game.

Paul Cook was recalled to the starting line-up with Rory Prendergast still trying to shake of a groin strain and Lutel James missing due to the birth of his daughter.

Steve Jagielka went out to the right wing with Lee McEvilly on the left as Stanley continued with 4-5-1.

The Reds came close to opening the scoring on 19 minutes when Paul Mullin and Peter Cavanagh played a neat one-two with the skipper just drilling the ball wide from eight yards out.

But Ian Craney, known for his speciality goals, made sure that he found the back of the net two minutes later when Jon Kennedy's goal kick was chested down by Mullin and Craney volleyed home from 25 yards.

The lead, however, proved short-lived as Northwich, who had rarely ventured into the Reds area, scored with their first shot at goal - Mark Devlin firing home a wonder goal from 20 yards out following a Williams clearance which left Kennedy with no chance.

Just before half-time, Allan did catch out the Reds back-line and charged through one-on-one with Kennedy but the Reds shot-stopped did well to come out and save the goalbound shot with his legs.

Williams then picked up what was to be an imporant first booking for a foul on Quayle 30 yards out just on half-time.

Stanley came out all guns blazing after the break and Ged Brannan tried a cheeky chip from the kick-off but he just couldn't catch Andy Ralph out and the keeper finger-tipped the effort over.

Mullin headed at Ralph, Cook fired over before two goals in four minutes seemed to send Stanley cruising to victory.

A move started by Stuart Howson found Craney who beat the off-side trap and kept his composure to tuck the ball under the body of Ralph on 50 minutes.

And four minutes later, Mullin set up Lee McEvilly on the left and he charged through and curled the ball into the far corner of the net from 12 yards out - his third goal in two games.

It was all looking very comfortable. Defender Anthony Gerrard had a header just touched out by the keeper while, from Cook's corner, the Everton man's shot was cleared off the line by captain Peter Handyside.

Winger Prendergast came on and had a good chance after patient build up by the Reds while Craney hammered another effort just over the bar. And then it all went pear-shaped.

Stanley lost the ball on the wing, Cavanagh was judged to have fouled Allan and Quayle sent Kennedy the wrong way on 76 minutes.

Eight minutes later, Kennedy did well to save an Allan shot from six yards out but the ball bounced out to Hadland and Williams was judged to have made a two-footed lunge.

Kennedy faced Quayle again and he kept his composure to send the ball the same way.

Either side could have won it in the last minutes. The ten-men Stanley had to clear a George Clegg strike off the line while the former Manchester United midfielder tried his luck from 20 yards but Kennedy collected it.

Craney had a shot saved, Mullin chipped over and Coleman was furious that Prendergast wasn't awarded a penalty when the winger went down in the area appealing that he had had his heels clipped.

"If theirs was a penalty then the foul on Rory was, in the last minute, as that was a lunge that someone blocked the ball with," blasted Coleman. "But I won't speak to the referee about it because there is no point, nothing will happen."

He continued: "We have dominated the game so much it was bordering on embarrassing.

"We were so much in control. Ian Craney was a constant threat but the result was then taken out of our hands by the second penalty.

"We will never get those two points back and, at the end of the season, they could prove costly.

"The lads are sick but we have just got to bounce back tomorrow and take the bull by the horns."