Beattie proud of Stanley

Accrington manager James Beattie spoke of his pride after watching his side boost their chances of survival with a 1-0 win at Exeter.

Kayode Odejayi bundled home the only goal of a dour game on the stroke of half time from Lee Molyneux's corner kick to inflict a 10th home defeat of the season on Exeter. "The players may surprise a lot of people but they don't surprise me," he said. "They never know when to lie down and stop and they are a tremendous bunch. They make me very proud to be their manager. "I thought the goal was a great finish. I have told him [Odejayi] he has done some excellent work outside the box and he has got to get himself between the sticks. That is what he has done. It is not a pretty goal but it has secured us an important three points. "This wasn't a spectacle and both sides struggled to play on the pitch. The players make me smile and make me proud and they were tremendous. They were running on empty but they still kept running. But they are doing themselves and the club proud. "The lads keep pulling out performances. The rise from not getting a win in our first 12 games - many people had written us off. It is all down to them and they are getting what they deserve because they have put a lot of hard work in. "Both sides were a bit leggy and we have managed the energy well. This was played at a slow tempo and the lads were glad to get off the pitch with three points."