Coleman has Reds on run to safety
ACCRINGTON Stanley manager John Coleman hopes the recent upturn in form can lead to his side having a successful second half of the League One campaign.
The Reds have won back to back league games, the most recent of those a 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday.
That has seen Accrington climb to 16th place in the table, now 13 points clear of the relegation zone.
Up next for them is a match against Lincoln City at the Wham Stadium on Saturday, and Coleman is desperate to keep the momentum going.
“It’s two wins on the spin now, and hopefully we can start to use that as a springboard to finish the season well,” he said.
“We’ve got to take this onto Saturday as you don’t just want isolated wins, you want a run. Starting the run is the hardest part, but staying on them is a bit easier.
“Another two or three wins should probably guarantee safety and League One football next season, but all we can do is take each game as they come.
“It will be a tough game at home to Lincoln on Saturday, but we’ll give it our best shot like we always do. I can never fault these players for their effort, as they run themselves into the ground every week.
“There is still a lot of work to be done though and we can’t rest on our laurels.
“We want to finish the season strong and give the fans something to cheer about.”
Lincoln are in 14th place in the League One table, after a poor run of form that has seen them fail to win any of their last five matches, losing four in the process.
It was only on Tuesday where Lincoln ended the run of four straight defeats, as they drew 1-1 at home to MK Dons. Rhys Healey had opened the scoring for MK Dons after just three minutes, but Liam Bridcutt equalised for Lincoln to ensure they ended their losing streak.
Just like on Tuesday against Shrewsbury, Accrington head into the game knowing that a victory would see them leapfrog their opponents in the table, with Lincoln currently two points above Coleman’s men.
Stanley will be hoping for a different result to when they went up against Lincoln in the reverse fixture earlier this season, with the Reds condemned to a 2-0 defeat back in August.
Goals from Michael O’Connor and John Akinde in each half were enough to secure Lincoln the win at Sincil Bank.
Stanley could hand a start to Sam Finley in the game after he returned from injury by coming off the bench against Shrewsbury, while Colby Bishop may also return following his absence.