STANLEY'S first win of the season was as welcome on the terraces as it was in the Beattie household.

Manager James Beattie’s son turned eight on Saturday, when the Reds managed to stage a late fightback to beat Tranmere 3-2.

That not only ended Stanley's wait for a league win this term but gave James junior another present to go along with his new pet rabbit.

“When you come up against teams that are bigger powers in football, which Tranmere most definitely are, you’ve got to give the lads credit for the way they apply themselves and give everything they’ve got,” said Beattie after Saturday’s game.

“The lads make me proud every week but when they get their just deserts it’s even better for me.

“And with it being my son’s birthday today I asked them very nicely if they could give me three points to go home with, so I’ll be happy going back down south.

“Unfortunately James will be asleep when I get home but I’ll see him in the morning – and his new rabbit!”

Beattie’s family home is still on the south coast and the former Southampton and Everton striker agreed to play in a charity match for local side Poole Town on Sunday.

That gave little James a rare chance to see his dad in action and the youngster was even wearing his Stanley shirt as he watched James senior line up alongside the likes of ex-Burnley manager Eddie Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall.

“When we meet people out he’s not shy at telling them his daddy’s a football manager, which is slightly embarrassing at times but cute as well,” added Beattie, 36. “I always say to my wife it’s a shame he wasn’t old enough to remember me playing.

"I took him to the games and walked round the pitch with him at the end of the season. We’ve got some great pictures. I’d have loved for him to watch me play but at least he’ll get to see me play tomorrow.”

Although Beattie had watched his side surrender the lead for a fourth game in succession on Saturday, he was encouraged by the way they fought back from 2-1 down.

“They’re little building blocks," he added. "We start off by trying to get a clean sheet because if we do that, I always fancy us to score.

“We didn’t manage to do that against Tranmere but we still got an important win and that will go towards reaching the total that will see this club stay in the league.

“I was delighted for the boys, it was a great game to win. We made hard work of it but Tranmere are a good side, coming down from League One. They’ve got a great infrastructure with new owners so it was a great test for us, but the lads overcame it.

“In the end their resilience and passion for the badge shone through.”