ALL THE pre-match talk was of how Scarborough were struggling for strikers.
But after the game it was Stanley manager John Coleman who was threatening to launch a frontmen hunt.
The boss was furious as his side's defence crumbled in the first 15 minutes - and then exasperated as his team failed to take their chances to at least give the scoreline some respectability.
It is a struggle to know which Accrington side will turn up at the moment.
The team who can thrash the likes of Dagenham, beat York and master Hereford and give the fans plenty to shout and sing about. Or the side who slip to easy losses against Stevenage, Tamworth and now Scarborough.
And it has left the manager infuriated and perplexed and threatening to make changes before it's too late.
"It was the same old story," fumed the boss. "It was sloppy defending and then to say we were wasteful in front of goal is an injustice, it was embarrasing. You can't keep missing that many chances as it is a recipe for disaster.
"If you give goals away and do not take the chances you get, then you are going to get beat every game. It is diabolical. Professional footballers shouldn't be missing chances like that, not on a regular basis. I've said it before but maybe this time, we have got to bring some fresh blood in."
On the positive side, Stanley still only trail the third placed side, Aldershot, by three points and are still among the play-off chasing pack.
But the statistics don't make good reading. Stanley have lost five of their 15 Conference matches so far - Aldershot, who finished fifth last season, lost 12 throughout their campaign - and the Reds have collected just five points out of the last 21.
It was hoped the Hereford win and Aldershot draw had lifted them out of their mini slump but the loss to Scarborough showed the boss that there is still plenty of work to be done.
The omens did seem good for Stanley as Boro were struggling up front after failing to sign Chester striker Darryn Stamp.
Instead, manager Nick Henry gave strikers Tony Hackworth and pint-sized Chris Senior, usually known as super-sub, a chance to stake their claim - and they took it. Coleman slammed the early defending as "kamikaze" - especially for the first goal on three minutes.
A Mike Flynn throw in was intercepted by the Boro midfield, and a chip to Senior on the right wing caught out Peter Cavanagh who had charged forward.
Senior played in a great ball for former Leeds player Hackworth who got in ahead of Jonathan Smith to tap home.
Six minutes later and right back Robbie Williams was harshly judged to have fouled Senior when both ran for a long ball forward.
Williams seemed to shrug off the attentions of the forward and win the ball but the referee gave a free kick on the edge of the area.
And up stepped set-piece king Neil Redfearn who cracked the ball low and hard into the bottom of the net for his eighth goal of the season - the Boro fans could hardly believe it and the Stanley players stood shell-shocked.
And then a great move made it three on 14 minutes.
Boro worked quickly with Senior on the right wing finding Hackworth in the area and he unselfishly passed to the unmarked Kevin Nicholson and it was easy for him to slot home the third.
It was hard to believe it was the same defence who had stood firm against Aldershot as there were cracks everytime Boro charged forward - and everytime Senior got the ball.
Stanley could have got one back when defender Smith got on the end of a Cavanagh free kick but it was straight into keeper Leigh Walker's arms.
Coleman changed it around, going from 4-5-1 to 4-4-2 after 30 minutes with Ian Craney moving into the left wing slot and McEvilly going up front.
And it almost paid off on the stroke of half-time with a Brannan free kick finding the head of McEvilly but his flick was straight into the keeper's arms.
And the Reds were again ruing their luck in front of goal immediately after the restart although Coleman's half-time team talk certainly produced the desired effort from his players.
Steve Jagielka played a good ball in from the by-line, McEvilly slid in at close range and Walker saved with his legs. The ball was in the air and Mullin headed goalwards but Walker's finger-tips dragged the ball out of the net, against the post and then out to safety.
Minutes later, to add to Stanley's anguish, McEvilly's header was centimetres over the crossbar.
The Seadogs still had chances with a Hackworth free header being saved by Carl Ikeme while Stanley were once more wasteful in front of goal.
Brannan played in a superb ball, Smith got in front of the defence in the six yard box and tried to stroke it home. Walker denied him, the ball ran loose but Craney could not force it over the line.
Scarborough had no such problems at the other end on 69 minutes. They again broke swiftly and Ashley Lyth set up Senior who was there to add the fourth.
Coleman couldn't hide his disappointment. "It is kamikaze defending for the first goal. We have got a throw in on the half way line, the centre half has taken it, the left back's pushed on and we're left two defending two.
"You don't need to do it away from home in the first four minutes. They then put the ball in the channel and we were always going to be in trouble. That, for me, has cost us the game.
"And then the referee has gifted them the second goal. To anyone who plays football, that's a laughable decision of a free kick. That got their tails up and they got a good third. Then after the break we had seven or eight chances - not half chances either - and to be fair my little girl would have put two of them in and she has just had a back operation.
"And when we miss chances, we as a team get disappointed - you can see it in our body language. We go on the back foot. You practise finishing in training but if people freeze in front of goal, they will do it every time, no matter what. You have got to have that bit of hunger and we haven't at the moment. If it doesn't change, we have got to bring somebody in."
Defender Mike Flynn admitted he is at a loss by the different Stanley performances - but thinks they can get it right.
"We have let ourselves down so badly against teams like Farnborough and Tamworth, teams that we were expected to beat. The Conference is a stronger league than I expected, with some very good players in it, but if we can nullify the poor performances and keep putting in our performances against the stronger sides then we should be in the shake-up."
