Stanley will look to maintain their 'miraculous' climb up the League 2 table when they host derby rivals Morecambe this weekend.

The Reds were denied another Lancashire derby at the Store First Stadium last Saturday as a heavy downpour at lunchtime proved just too much for the Stanley pitch to absorb.

But James Beattie's men will be in buoyant mood as they welcome Morecambe tomorrow after another crucial away win at Bristol Rovers in midweek.

Stanley are proving a bogey side for the Pirates as, for the second successive season, they did the double over a side with far greater resources and expectations.

It was the Reds' victory in the reverse fixture in October that ended a 13-match wait for their first league win of the season.

Before the game, Stanley were five points adrift at the bottom of the table. But that victory has sparked a run of eight wins and four draws from their last 15 league games, propelling the Reds up to 17th place – six points clear of the relegation zone. I totally believe in the players,” said Beattie. “The position they've got themselves into from the position we were in is nothing short of miraculous.

“I just keep saying to them 'keep doing the right things, keep training hard, keep looking after yourself off the pitch and keep producing the individual performances'.

“I'm only on at them so much because I want them to do so well. If they want to do as well as I want them to then they won't go far short.

“These tight games, it could have gone either way,” admitted the Reds' boss. “But they stuck in and showed their character and team spirit. There's something special there, as I said even when we were losing games. If they can keep a level head, I think we'll be okay.”

Last season's win at the Memorial Stadium secured Stanley's Football League status with a game to spare. If the Reds continue their current form then they'll be 'okay' long before the penultimate game of the season. After winning at Cheltenham, Stanley were frustrated not to get a shot at Bury last Saturday. The Shakers were in a state of flux after signing three new players the day before and the Reds were wary of losing ground on their relegation rivals.

But they brushed off that disappointment – and the uncertainty over whether Tuesday's game would go ahead – to make it back-to-back away wins and earn their first clean sheet since November.

“We'll just keep getting the home games called off and keep playing away all the time!” Beattie joked. The lads were hungry, I could tell. They were disappointed that the game was called off on Saturday, even though it was 100 per cent the right call. They were hungry to play on Tuesday night and I enjoy it when it's like that because it makes my job a bit easier.

“The lads stuck at their game plan tremendously well. We were under pressure for spells in the game but there were some tremendous performances at the back, which allowed us to go up the other end and score the winner.

“It was a good away performance. It wasn't the prettiest game but we made sure we stayed in it and it was a good game to win.”

The manner in which that win was secured also gave Stanley a shot in the arm, with Peter Murphy scoring in stoppage time. It was the midfielder's eighth goal of the season and, remarkably, his fifth to come in the 85th minute or beyond. And given his frequent late heroics this season, Beattie believes the 23-year-old is beginning to make a name for himself.

“Peter's a good lad, he's a tremendous character in the dressing room,” he said.

“He sometimes gets ahead of the ball a bit too often but when he's in the box in the 93rd minute and he sticks one in the top corner, we're not going to have a go at him.

“He's a good young player and he's got all the attributes to become a very good young player.

“It's up to Peter. We'll give him a platform and a base to go out there and express himself within a team shape.

“As long as he's disciplined and keeps getting himself in the box then he's going to get noticed. “Hopefully we can nurture him into a better player for Accrington Stanley but if he progresses in the way he and I hope he will I think the club will struggle to hang onto him.”

Murphy also scored a last-minute winner in the reverse fixture against Morecambe, which maintained Stanley's excellent record against their former non-league foes. Since renewing their rivalry in the Football League, the Reds are yet to lose in 13 league games against the Shrimps.

Jim Bentley's men were outside the play-offs on goal difference after winning 1-0 against their other derby rivals Fleetwood on Boxing Day.

However, the Shrimps have failed to win in five games since. Jack Redshaw's late equaliser gave them a 2-2 draw at home to Portsmouth last Saturday and although Morecambe remain in the top half of League 2, they are now eight points adrift of the top seven.

Ex-Red Padraig Amond started last Saturday while former Stanley loanee Mark Hughes had to go off with a hamstring problem.

The Reds would need other results to go their way but another victory against Morecambe tomorrow could see them join their Lancashire rivals in the top half.

After bringing in Lee Molyneux last week, Beattie was looking at making another loan signing before today's transfer deadline.