Jake Bickerstaff grabbed his first Accrington Stanley goal but it proved a consolation in their 3-1 loss at Sutton United.
Wrexham loanee Bickerstaff glanced the ball home in the 85th minute after coming on as a substitute three minutes before.
Sutton were already 3-0 up and moved off the bottom of the table while Stanley now remain in 16th spot, after hitting the usual safety target of 50 points last week.
Jack McIntyre made his first league start in goal with Radek Vitek on international duty with Czech Under 20s.
Joe Pritchard returned to the starting line-up for the first time since the end of January.
Stanley started well and had a great chance on eight minutes when Jack Nolan’s cross skimmed across the face of goal and Shaun Whalley was inches away of putting the ball into the net.
A Josh Woods volley just after was straight into the arms of goalkeeper Steve Arnold and, on 14 minutes, Pritchard sent Woods running free but Arnold denied him with his legs.
Sutton opened the scoring on 16 minutes when Harry Smith ran onto a long ball forward, McIntyre came out but the striker was able to fire into the net.
Oliver Sanderson had a free header to make it two but guided it over the bar.
Pritchard was so close to an equaliser on 26 minutes with Arnold pushing his shot up and onto the post and the ball bounced back into the keeper’s arms.
McIntrye did well to deny Sanderson who was clean through while Nolan fired over just before half-time.
Cody Adedoyin and Alex Henderson came on for the second half but it was McIntyre first in action, keeping out a Smith header.
McIntrye then produced a superb double save. He pushed away a fierce Sanderson strike and then smothered a Smith shot soon after to make sure United didn’t make it two.
Tommy Leigh had an effort blocked while a Joe Gubbins header wasn’t too far away while, at the other end, Nino Adom-Malaki fired just wide.
Josh Coley had a close range effort kept out by McIntrye before Sutton scored a second on 68 minutes.
A Charlie Lakin corner was curled into a busy area and Omar Sowunmi headed home – with McIntrye appealing he had been fouled as he ended up in the back of the net.
It was three on 74 minutes when Millwall loanee Adom-Malaki got the ball outside the area and struck it perfectly to find the far corner of the net.
Stanley got one back on 85 minutes through Bickerstaff who, at the near post, converted Adedoyin’s cross home.
The Reds pressed but were unable to find another in John Doolan’s first game as permanent Stanley manager.
Stanley: McIntyre, Mellor, Hills, Gubbins, O’Brien, Martin (B Woods), Leigh, Nolan (Bickerstaff), Pritchard (Henderson), Whalley, J Woods (Adedoyin).
Subs: Savin, Shipley, Conneely.
Yellow: Adedoyin
Attendance: 3,265
