Back in November, a small section of Stanley fans took great pleasure in taunting Northampton’s Adebayo Akinfenwa about his weight. He responded by scoring a hat-trick.

You’d have thought the lesson had been learnt, but then came Fleetwood’s Jon Parkin, affectionately known as ‘The Beast’ by his own club’s supporters.

Again those Stanley fans dared to tempt fate. And again the opposition striker had the last laugh.

‘The Beast’ bit back by opening the scoring in the 25th minute. Parkin then put former England internationals James Beattie and Francis Jeffers in the shade by adding two more after the hour mark to complete his hat-trick and send the Reds to the bottom of League Two.

After struggling with Clive Platt at the weekend, the Stanley defence again failed to get to grips with the presence of a big frontman, and as early as the fourth minute Parkin held the ball up for Jamie McGuire, whose shot was deflected over by Nicky Hunt.

With the Reds struggling to get a foothold in the game, Jeffers let his frustration show with his first contribution on his first Stanley start being a lunge on left-back Alan Goodall, which might have resulted in a red card rather than the yellow he got.

Rommy Boco had a shot blocked before Amine Linganzi fired well wide from distance as the Reds tried in vain to give visiting keeper Scott Davies something to worry about.

Hunt covered at the back to make an important challenge on Parkin but Stanley didn’t heed that warning as Fleetwood took advantage of some static defending to break the deadlock.

A throw from the left went straight to Parkin in the middle and the former Preston striker played a fine ball to the right for Junior Brown. The winger then made room for the cross, giving Parkin time to get into the box, where he sent a superb volley back across Paul Rachubka and just inside the post.

Stanley replied with Beattie’s low cross just too long for new strike partner Jeffers, before McGuire and Peter Murphy were booked in a heated first half.

Parkin’s lay-off then found Gareth Evans, who tested Rachubka at his near post.

The Reds’ keeper also charged out to deny Evans on the edge of the box before turning David Ball’s follow-up wide.

Ex-Stanley loanee Rob Atkinson headed wide from a Brown free-kick just before the break, while Beattie volleyed over as Stanley made a positive start to the second half.

But it didn’t last long. Dean Winnard had to be alert to block Brown’s low cross before Parkin’s shot was saved by Rachubka.

And in the 62nd minute the 31-year-old Yorkshireman was left with a simple finish, rolling the ball past Rachubka after Ball’s pass from the left carved open the Reds’ defence.

It got even easier for Parkin as a punt forward from the keeper found him in yards of space but, on a hat-trick, he went for the spectacular and sent a first-time volley into the side-netting.

The Reds rallied and Linganzi’s fierce shot from the right side of the box was tipped wide by Davies, with Linganzi then heading over from the corner.

But Fleetwood sealed victory with 20 minutes left as Parkin got in front of Winnard to poke Shaun Beeley’s right-wing cross past Rachubka at the near post.

Substitute James Gray and Boco both tested Davies from outside the box as Stanley hoped for a consolation, while Murphy headed wide from a Lee Molyneux corner.

But Fleetwood almost made the victory even more emphatic at the death as substitute Jean-Michel Fontaine smashed an acrobatic volley against the crossbar.

Stanley : Rachubka 6, Hunt 6, Winnard 5, Aldred 5, Liddle 4 (Molyneux 64, 6), Boco 6, Linganzi 6, Murphy 4, Wilson 5, Beattie 5 (Gray 63, 6), Jeffers 4 (Hatfield 80). Not used: Carver, Joyce, Lindfield, Dunbavin.