Coleman unfazed by favourites tag
‘There are lots of good sides in this league and we are one of them’
ACCRINGTON Stanley manager John Coleman insists his team are not threatened by Mansfield’s tag of being one of the favourites for promotion.
The two teams meet this weekend at the Wham Stadium, with Stanley hoping to return to winning ways following their 3-2 defeat at Yeovil Town last week.
Mansfield have heavily strengthened over the summer and are unbeaten in their opening two matches, but Coleman is adamant his side will be more than a match for them.
“It will be a tough test and they are one of the favourites, having brought a number of players in and paid some money but we know we can compete with anyone in this league,” he told the club’s official website.
“Being one of the favourites doesn’t mean a lot as I think Portsmouth last season are the only favourites who have won the league in the last 10 years. There are lots of good sides in this league and we are one of them.”
Stanley host Mansfield just a few months after the teams last met, with that match at Field Mill ending in a dramatic 4-4 draw.
Coleman is hoping for more of the same from his forwards this time around, but without conceding four at the other end.
“It was one of the best games I have ever been involved in,” he said.
“If we can score four against them again then we should be in with a good chance of winning.”
Accrington head into that match following the 3-2 defeat Yeovil, and Coleman admits he was frustrated with some of the aspects of his team’s performance.
“We have watched the Yeovil game back and we are still disappointed with the way our defence imploded for 20 minutes,” he said.
“We did not compose ourselves quickly enough and, while we did improve in the second half, the damage had been done.
“There were promising signs in the second half and so we have to pick ourselves up and go again.”
The Reds manager has also revealed that his side had struggled in the week prior due to an illness that was within the squad.
“There was a sickness bug sweeping the camp prior to Saturday but it had cleared up,” he said. “We won’t be using that as an excuse, we have players who are capable of coming in and doing a job and they did apart from 20 minutes on Saturday.”