Billy Kee said he thought Stanley showed plenty of class – but felt his Burton side deserved their win on Sunday.
Kee, still only 22, scored the winner in the 10th minute against his former side Accrington, where he was on loan in 2009.
"Accrington showed class, especially in possession, but I felt we were the stronger side throughout," said the striker.
In those three years since Kee was a teenage striker on loan from Leicester – scoring nine goals for Stanley before a switch to Torquay – he admits there have been massive changes at the Crown Ground.
"I think I only knew four of the team that were here on Sunday – Leam (Richardson), Luke Joyce, Craig Lindfield and Peter Murphy – and there has obviously been a change of manager.
"Leam is a lot different to when I was at Accrington. Then he was one of the lads as he was a player but I spoke to him on Sunday and obviously he has got to be a lot more professional.
"He will make a good manager. He conducts himself in the right way and I am sure he will do well.
"Accrington do have to battle all the time as they haven’t got a lot of money to spend, which was the same as when I was there, and their first aim will be to stay in the league.
"But, with the side they have got, you will expect to see them challenging in mid-table or the top half of the league."
Kee says his time at Stanley helped him develop into the player he is today which unfortunately had repercussions for the Reds with his winner on Sunday.
"I found it hard at Accrington as I didn’t know a lot of people, a lot of the lads lived in Liverpool, I only had a few friends and I was on my own a lot.
"But in terms of football it taught me a lot about League Two, it taught me how to play in this league and made me the player I am now.
"I have never scored against Accrington before so I felt this was my time. The Accrington fans were giving me a bit of stick so I had to answer them."
