91Èȱ¬

Accrington secured their first league win of the season at the expense of fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.

The Pirates took the lead after five minutes when Manchester City loanee Alex Henshall's left-wing cross fooled goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.

But James Gray netted a close-range equaliser from Peter Murphy's well-executed pass.

Kal Naismith drilled a low shot on the half-hour mark to give Stanley the lead and they held on for three points.

Accrington manager James Beattie told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Lancashire:

"I thought we deserved it. We were the better side tonight. There was a mistake from Marcus, but otherwise we were outstanding.

"His reaction to the mistake and the team's reaction towards Marcus says a lot about how he's played for us.

"He needed his mates to pull him out of the mire and they did that. I'm really pleased for them. They deserve it."

Bristol Rovers manager John Ward told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Bristol:

"The first 10 minutes was good and very positive.

"Maybe we got a little bit carried away with that and thought everything was going to turn out OK.

"We've allowed ourselves to get a bit frantic with our decision making.

"That's down to the youth I've got out there. It's not a criticism it's just the situation they've found themselves in."