Shaun Whalley scores as Accrington beat promotion-chasing Notts County

Notts County saw their drive for automatic promotion stall as they were beaten 1-0 by Accrington.

Visiting captain Shaun Whalley stunned Meadow Lane when he netted the only goal of a drab contest in the 72nd minute.

The result was a huge disappointment for Martin Paterson’s men, who enjoyed plenty of possession but created little and ultimately missed a huge chance to close the gap on the top three.

After Whalley had fired over early on, the hosts seized control. But they failed to translate possession into clear opportunities, with only Tom Iorpenda and Matthew Dennis forcing Ollie Wright into action.

Iorpenda’s effort, after combining with Alassana Jatta, was pushed away to safety before Dennis got his head to a Nick Tsaroulla cross.

The lack of quality, especially from County, clearly frustrated Paterson who watched Dennis shoot tamely at Wright soon after half-time. Jodi Jones’ introduction injected extra impetus into their play.

Still, it was Stanley who struck the decisive blow when Whalley, latching on to Donald Love’s lofted pass, held off Lewis Macari and prodded the ball home.