FOR THE last four seasons, the team which has topped the Conference table at New Year has gone on to win the league.

Accrington Stanley are hoping history repeats itself and, fingers crossed, things do seem to be playing into their hands at the moment.

Two late goals have salvaged a point against Halifax in their last two matches over the festive period to take their league unbeaten run to eight games and open up a three point gap at the top of the table.

And nearest challengers Grays and Exeter just can't stop slipping up. Former leaders Grays have picked up one point out of a possible nine while Exeter have lost their last two games.

Everything is going well for the Reds and John Coleman admits it is just a case of keeping his troops going and not getting too carried away.

"It wasn't a bad weekend for us results-wise but we have just got to concentrate on our next match," said the boss. "We have got good players here and I would like to think they will only get better.

"I am disappointed we didn't win on Monday. On another day we would have won the game but it was a difficult game and there are going to be a lot of difficult games between now and the end of the season. We had three one-on-ones and didn't convert any which is disappointing and they had one half chance and scored."

The manager has admitted that the two performances against their Yorkshire rivals haven't been their best. On Boxing Day at the Shay, Stanley needed a Gary Roberts last minute free kick to secure a point.

And the hero of last Monday was sub Peter Cavanagh who had only been on the pitch for three minutes when a penalty was given for the Reds - and he had to stay calm and convert it 10 minutes from time.

"Cav missed a penalty in training this week but there was never any doubt he would take it. I was confident and he stroked it in well," said the boss.

It was what Stanley needed to preserve their record of scoring in every game so far. It was also a boost in front of Stanley's biggest crowd of the season as 3014 made the trip to the Interlink - including Blackburn and Burnley fans who witnessed, if not the best game, a terrific atmosphere and a tense test for the Reds.

And the Sky cameras were also there as Stanley increasingly become hot news with their table topping antics.

Halifax had played on Friday while Stanley's clash at Southport was postponed but it was the visitors who were quickest out of the blocks.

Town boss Chris Wilder had changed his line-up bringing back the tricky John Grant and captain Denny Ingram while Stanley had the same eleven for the third successive game.

The Reds struggled to get going with Danny Forrest whisking a shot just wide and former Reds winger Rory Prendergast charged down the wing and put in a cross which, unlike on Boxing Day, wasn't converted.

However, the Reds did start to claw their way back into it.

They felt they had a good shout for a penalty on 18 minutes when Paul Mullin tumbled in the area under a challenge from his shadow, Adam Quinn but referee Colin Harwood was having none of it.

And Mullin then had a great chance for the opener after good work from Steve Jagielka and Ian Craney but, as he tried to take the ball round the keeper, Adam Legzinds somehow managed to get his hands on the ball.

Then it was another one-on-one for Stanley when Rommy Boco sent Craney charging ahead of the defence but Legzdins came out to block the effort and Roberts then skied the follow up with the goal at his mercy.

And, the Reds continued to be a threat when a well-worked short corner between Craney and Roberts led to Craney whipping in a ball to the edge of the area where Jagielka was waiting but he blasted inches wide.

But, while Stanley were dangerous at one end, the visitors continued to also have their chances with Martin Foster allowed time and space to turn on the edge of the area but he chipped his effort again wide.

It then all got a bit tastey with tackles flying in and Phil Edwards and Ingram both entered the ref's notebook.

Prendergast again showed shades of his former Stanley self when he broke bristly on the wing and split the defence with his ball but Matt Doughty finished woefully, making it easy for Rob Elliot.

And, in the last action of the half, Roberts appealed for another Reds spot kick when the winger was sandwiched between Steve Haslam and Peter Atherton in the area but the ref was close by and waved away any appeals.

At half-time, it did look like both sides would struggle to break the deadlock with defences on top.

But then Halifax gave the Reds a sign of what was to come when, minutes into the second half, Forrest had a strike blocked by Elliot and Foster should have done better than blast over the follow up.

The Stanley fans at the far end were then waiting for the net to bulge when Craney found Roberts who beat the defender in the area to slide a shot goalwards - but again the ball was drilled the wrong side of the post.

Then Halifax got the goal that looked, for a while, like it would win the game.

Forrest got the ball on the edge of the area and it looked harmless enough as the whole of the Reds defence were stood in front of him.

But he curled it and the ball took a nick of Michael Welch and it tucked into the bottom corner of the net beyond the diving Elliot.

While the Town team ran off to celebrate, ex-Red Prendergast kept his head down and ran back to the centre circle - in contrast to his wild celebrations for the Halifax opener on Boxing Day.

Coleman had to change things around and he put on subsitutes Andy Mangan and David Brown and both troubled the back line with Brown just having the ball taken off his head as he waited to pounce on a Leam Richardson cross.

Coach Paul Cook was desperately trying to rally his tropps on the sidelines and the Reds did then have a couple of goalmouth scrambles with Mullin having a shot blocked and a Brown ball in causing problems before it was eventually cleared.

The Reds boss then made his last gamble by sending on captain Cavanagh on 75 minutes.

And three minutes later, he was faced with the responsibility of taking a vital penalty.

Roberts went on one of his runs into the area and he tumbled as Haslam brushed past him. It was third time lucky for the Reds penalty appeals as referee Harwood immediately pointed to the spot.

There was then a little scuffle in the middle of the field with ended with Quinn and Craney being booked causing extra pain for the captain who was patiently waiting for his chance of glory.

To be fair, Cavanagh didn't let it unnerve him and he sent Legzdins the wrong way despite the Halifax fans behind the goal doing their best to put him off.

And then, it was one-way traffic although Mangan couldn't find the target and Boco's effort was deflected.

With four minutes of injury time on the clock, Roberts took a last ditch corner and Welch headed down only for Atherton to clear off the line - and share the spoils again.

"We didn't settle for a point and you could see at the death that we wanted to go and win it," added the Reds boss.

"The atmosphere was magnificent, there must have been about 2000 of our own fans and we have got to hope they come back again as the players really responded to it. It is like a proper football club with a big crowd and long may it continue."

And long may the Reds' continue at the top as the two points against Halifax preserved their unbeaten record and kept them as league leaders - now all they have to do is stay there and hope history repeats itself.