For the first time in two months, Stanley managed to take the lead at Wimbledon on Saturday. But manager James Beattie’s prediction that the Reds would then go on to win was dashed by a dubious red card for Kayode Odejayi on the stroke of half-time.
Stanley’s on-loan striker had headed them into a 17th-minute lead, only to become the first Football League player this season to score and be sent off in the same game.
The resilient Reds then kept the hosts at bay until Alan Bennett equalised in the 86th minute to keep Stanley waiting for their first league win of the season.
“I’m very proud, the lads were magnificent,” said Beattie.
“I said that if we scored first, we’d go on to win the game, but certain circumstances have again dictated that we didn’t do that.
“We played some great stuff and you could see the relief within the team when we got a goal up. Second half it was a totally different performance but just as good.”
After Wimbledon striker Jack Midson’s early shot was blocked by Tom Aldred, Accy had the better of the first half, with Piero Mingoia, Michael Richardson and loanee James Caton all keen to impress after coming into a five-man midfield.
Aldred found space to meet a Lee Naylor corner and, leaning back, he could only direct his header straight at home keeper Ross Worner.
Although Rob Atkinson then hobbled off with a hamstring problem, Dean Winnard had returned to the Stanley bench and replaced him at centre-half.
But the Wimbledon defence didn’t learn their lesson as they were punished from another Naylor corner.
Odejayi drifted off the back of his marker to convert a free header from six yards and claim his second goal in five games for Stanley.
Peter Murphy then sent a tame shot wide from Nicky Hunt’s long throw before the Reds enjoyed a good spell of pressure midway through the half.
Worner blocked Odejayi’s low cross at his near post before Piero Mingoia laid off to Michael Richardson, whose 25-yard strike was also parried by Worner.
Stanley managed to maintain possession until Hunt played the ball towards Odejayi and although Murphy beat Worner to Odejayi’s flick-on, his header went across goal and wide as Richardson slid in at the far post.
Naylor curled a free-kick just wide on 33 minutes before George Porter got in behind Naylor and cut the ball back for Harry Pell, who blazed over from 20 yards.
Marcus Bettinelli then misjudged Callum Kennedy’s inswinging free-kick from the Wimbledon right and was relieved to see it curl past the far post.
Then came the red card drama in first-half stoppage time, as Odejayi challenged Midson for a high ball just inside the Wimbledon half. Midson appeared to lead with his elbow, which was higher than Odejayi’s, and the pair grappled after they hit the deck.
If the referee Garry Sutton felt a card was necessary then surely Odejayi’s punishment should be no worse than Midson’s. However, he showed Odejayi a straight red while booking Midson, much to the consternation of the Stanley dug-out.
That completely changed Beattie’s half-time team talk as Accy prepared for a second-half onslaught, which began with Pell hitting another long-range effort over the bar.
Bettinelli then did well to block Midson’s close-range header after Rhys Weston had headed down Kennedy’s cross.
The Dons brought Chris Arthur on in the 58h minute and he was causing Stanley some problems down the Wimbledon left and while the Reds repelled several crosses into the danger zone, Pell headed one wide from six yards.
A Midson header looped over before Porter’s low cross was gathered by Bettinelli at his near post.
Arthur’s cut-back then found Luke Moore but his sidefoot finish was saved by Bettinelli’s legs and Michael Smith also missed a good chance as he fired wide from Moore’s lay-off.
But the Reds’ resistance was finally broken with four minutes left, as Beattie’s battlers were camped in their own box.
Stanley’s coaching staff were screaming at the players to stop the cross, which they did initially, but when Wimbledon played the ball back out to right-back Barry Fuller, he had time and space to loft a cross towards the penalty spot, where centre-half Bennett rose above Joyce to head home and break Accy hearts.
Stanley almost fashioned a chance of their own after substitute Marcus Carver found Mingoia on the right but his low cross was beyond Richardson.
And the Reds had to produce one last rearguard action to ensure they didn’t leave empty-handed, with Joyce preventing Smith getting a shot away before Kevin Sainte-Luce poked wide under pressure from Bettinelli.
STANLEY: Bettinelli 7, Hunt 8, Atkinson 6 (Winnard 16, 7), Aldred 7, Naylor 7, Mingoia 7 (Hatfield 90), Joyce 7, Murphy 7, Richardson 8, Caton 7 (Carver 49, 7), Odejayi 7. Subs: Miller, Naismith, Webber, Dunbavin.
