Many reasons for Reds pride
SHELDAN KEAY
WHILE it may have been a cruel end to the season for Accrington Stanley, there are still many reasons why the team should be proud of what they accomplished during the campaign.
Just like they have been for the last few years, the Reds started the season as one of the favourites for relegation, with their limited budget and small fan base seen as a reason why they could struggle.
Despite that, Stanley managed to overcome all the odds and became one of the best teams in the division, and ensured that a lot of people certainly know who they are now.
It looked like it would be another difficult year for the club, but their fortunes began to change when Kee scored his first goal of the season during the 1-0 victory at eventual promoted Bristol Rovers back in September.
Even back then, Coleman knew what his side were capable of, saying: “We made a bold statement at the start of the season, even though we haven’t got the greatest finances and the lowest budget in the league, and we have assembled a strong squad here.
“We know if we play like we can, we can beat anyone on our day and we have got to make sure we have more good days than bad days. If we have more good days, we will be challenging at the top and not the bottom.”
A fine run of form began for the Reds, and after winning seven out of 10 matches, the club found themselves in fourth place by the end of October.
Stanley continued to float around the play-offs during the festive period, but a string of postponed matches due to the weather threatened to disrupt their campaign.
They didn’t play at home once between midNovember and mid-January, with the club undergoing a run of five straight away games. They eventually returned when they hosted Hartlepool United, going on to win that match 3-1 and stay in the promotion hunt.
They suffered a slight blow when it was revealed that key players Josh Windass and Matt Crooks would both be leaving at the end of the season to join Scottish side Rangers.
Coleman was disappointed with how those players handled the situation back in January, saying at the time: I don’t get embroiled in social media but I do think going on and seeing the players had tweeted about being ‘buzzing to play for a massive club’ is disrespectful to our fans.
“Our fans have backed them through thick and thin and I do think there should be more respect in place. When I became a manager, my ethos was always to treat players how I would want to be treated and I just wish there had been more communication from the players to myself.”
While Windass and Crooks may have been two players that were leaving, Coleman did bring in some new recruits during the closing stages of the season to help his side’s challenge for promotion.
Club legend Rommy Boco returned for his third spell with Accrington, while Tariqe Fosu arrived on loan a few weeks later.
Boco made an impact, scoring the crucial goal during his side’s 3-2 victory over Notts County in February, and Coleman felt at that stage that his side could finish in the promotion places.
“It is in our hands and we can finish second. It is unlikely we will win every game between now and the end of the season but neither will every other team,” he said. “We know that, if we have a run of three or four games without a win, it could see us out of the play-offs so we have to focus on every game and how important every three points are.”
Unfortunately for Stanley, that type of run happened immediately following the victory over Notts County, as they won just one of their next six matches.
Many felt that their chances of finishing in the top three were now over, but the team bounced back and proved the doubters wrong yet again to find themselves in second place ahead of the last game of the season.
Unfortunately, the team failed to win at home to Stevenage, and wins for Oxford and Bristol City meant Stanley had to settle for fourth.
“I am hurting at the moment, and the players are. My fears came home to roost as I felt some people, not the players, felt we were up,” Coleman said following the Stevenage game.
Accrington were drawn against Wimbledon in the play-offs, and as went on to lose the match 3-2 on aggregate.
It was a disappointing end to the season, but that shouldn’t take away from a season where the club proved that they can be a match for anybody.
Stanley will now have to re-build and attempt to challenge again next year, and while it may seem unlikely, their performances this season have shown that anything is possible.