‘WHO was the last Stanley player to score a hat-trick?’ was the question banded around the FES after the Jamie Clarke show against fellow strugglers Grimsby.

The Blackburn Rovers loanee scored three superb goals so the Stanley fans could breathe a huge sigh of relief as they halted a run of four successive losses.

A Stanley hat-trick is a rare sight indeed with the last one being Lee McEvilly - who the Reds come up against at Rochdale on Saturday - who fired in all three against Northwich in the Conference in November 2004 in a 5-0 win.

The last league one goes all the way back to 1961 and the prolific George Hudson finding the net three times against Peterborough.

And while this one will go down in the Stanley history books it will be more special to Clarke, 20, for his first senior hat-trick and a huge confidence boost following what has been a hit and miss time with the Reds.

"For anyone to score all three goals in the Football League is a very good achievement," said Reds boss John Coleman.

"It was a fantastic hat-trick - and Jamie was outstanding.

"He will be the proud owner of a match ball signed by all the players and staff which is something to keep. It is first hat-trick and hopefully he will get more."

Coleman admits Clarke hasn’t been the most prolific - with a hip injury thwarting his spell at Accrington where he has now scored five goals.

But his quick-fire burst might lead to Coleman considering keeping Clarke longer with his loan spell up in January.

The Reds boss said: "What Jamie has to do is use his tools which he is good at - with the best will in the world, he is not the best with his back to goal but what he did was use his pace well against Grimsby to get away from their players.

"He has to exploit the space behind Paul Mullin more and that’s what he did - he is old enough to know what he has to do."

And the Reds knew what they had to do after a weary run had seen them lose their last four games and have the unenviable record of one win in nine league games - and five defeats in that.

Coleman had billed the game as "massive" - made moreso after the Boxing day loss to fellow strugglers Chester - with Grimsby, like Stanley, struggling at the wrong end of the table and both sides desperate for points going into 2009.

But the Reds showed commitment and a will to win and didn’t let their heads drop when the Mariners equalised.

Instead they kept going and played some flowing football, Clarke found his shooting boots and the fans went home happy that, at last, Stanley look to have turned a corner.

Not that Coleman was getting too carried away - especially as the win was over the Mariners, who have just two league victories all season.

"We have stopped the bleeding - we are out of intensive care but are still in hospital," he said.

"It is a mixture of elation and relief. We seem to have been stuck on 19 points for too long.

"We got the start we wanted as I told the lads to play at a high tempo - I think we had five corners in the first six minutes.

"And we have really took the game to them, scored a great goal then gifted them a way back into it with a misunderstanding.

"Then they have taken the game to us and come out of the traps better in the second half.

"You do fear for our confidence when they scored as it is at rock bottom at the moment but the lads have that bit of steel and had the bit between their teeths."

The Reds did start off strongly, forcing three corners in the opening three minutes with their best effort from defender Kieran Charnock but his fierce header was narrowly wide of the Grimsby post.

Stanley striker Clarke then showed signs of what was to come after John Miles put him clean through but Mariners keeper Phil Barnes’s one handed save denied him.

However, despite early pressure, the vistors could have taken the lead from the spot when captain Peter Cavanagh, back for the injured Leam Richardson and starting his first game since Bradford in October, tackled Nick Hegarty in the area.

Stanley fans were bracing themselves for the fourth spot kick awarded against them in four games but referee Phil Gibbs pointed to a goal kick, to the relief of the skipper.

"It was a blatant penalty," fumed Grimsby boss Mike Newell, with Coleman also admitting he feared the worst.

And Reds captain Cavanagh admitted: "I was lucky as I was a bit late, if I am honest."

Stanley survived that scare and then a sweeping move led to the opener.

A crossfield ball found Miles on the left wing and he passed to Chris King who was racing forward to the by-line.

The defender pulled the ball back nicely for Clarke to hammer the ball into the net for the Reds to take the lead in a game for the first time since Bournemouth on November 15.

It was what was needed but then the jitters could have started when the Mariners came back within four minutes with something out of nothing.

A strong back pass by Phil Edwards bounced off the knee of keeper Dunbavin and it fell nicely for striker Adam Proudlock - who is on loan from Darlington with the Mariners - and he lofted the ball into the empty net.

And it could have been more doom and gloom a minute later when robust striker Jean Louis Akpro’s 20-yard effort hit the crossbar.

But, not to be outdone, Stanley were also berating the woodwork as Jimmy Ryan’s 30 yard blast crashed against the inside of the post and came out with no one able to pounce on the loose ball in an action packed game.

Stanley had been playing well but then Newell’s side took charge without really testing Dunbavin.

Proudlock was a danger and Charnock made two timely tackles to stop him creating chances and Akpro rifled an effort just over the Stanley goal as they looked for just their third league win of the campaign.

But Clarke made sure it was Stanley who were celebrating on 59 minutes.

He left two defenders floored on the edge of the area, ran forward and showed the finishing touch he couldn’t find at Chester by firing the ball beyond Barnes.

And Stanley fans were still relishing that moment of class when they thought they had a third a minute later when Paul Mullin finished well but his effort was ruled out for off-side - although it seemed marginal.

Striker Mullin was hoping to increase his five goal tally and did come close again with 20 minutes left when he took the ball down and volleyed from close range but Barnes dived low to deny him.

It was certainly an entertaining clash which could have gone either way and Dunbavin redeemed himself from the earlier mix-up by keeping out Mariners frontman Akpro seven minutes from time after he got the ball unmarked in the area.

It was on a knife edge until a confident Clarke once again found his scoring boots on 84 minutes.

He used his pace to get the better of defender Ryan Bennett and then, from a tight angle, he managed to squeeze the ball home and it went in off the far post - he enjoyed that one to make it a magic three!

Hegarty did have a late shot for the Mariners but Dunbavin denied him to ensure a welcome three points were safe for the Reds and there was not nervy ending.

"I thought the game was a smashing advert for football," added Coleman.

"Grimsby played some of the best passing football I have seen here for a while.

"It was an open game, both sides passed the ball well, there was a willingness to attack, a willingness to shoot and it was played in a great spirti with no malice and no dirty tackles.

"A neutral would have been licking their lips. Hopefully this will help our confidence."