Time to act like real contenders insists Coleman
‘We’re starting to look like promotion contenders and now we have to act like it’
JOHN COLEMAN insists his Accrington Stanley side have the look of a team capable of challenging for promotion.
And the Reds gaffer is encouraging his players to think and act like promotion contenders.
Coleman has a keen interest in sports psychology and believes players can nurture their own confidence and performance levels by convincing themselves they can succeed.
The Stanley manager was impressed with his side’s display in the goalless draw against fellow highflyers Blackpool at the weekend.
He said both teams had the look of promotion candidates.
“On the evidence of that game, there’s no reason why we can’t challenge and that’s why I said to the lads that we’re starting to look like promotion contenders and now we have to act like it,” said Coleman.
“And you act like it not with a swagger but with an air of confidence, go on believing that you can win and the more you believe and the more you convince yourself you can do it, you have a better chance of doing it.
“With the strength in depth they’ve got, they have good players all over the pitch and good players in the stands as well.
“It was end to end at times in the second half, which was entertaining, and I thought it looked like two teams who are capable of threatening promotion, or challenging for promotion.
“I said to the players at half time that I thought we looked like promotion candidates and you have to act like that, you have to have that persona, that air about you, an air of confidence about you and I think we are starting to show that - we definitely showed it against Blackpool.
“I think on anither day we’d have won the game, our lads came in afterwards and felt it was two points dropped against a very, very good Blackpool side who have been playing ever so well in the last few weeks.
“We end up talking about an appalling decision again - that’s the third week running we’ve had an incident with a penalty that just defied belief. On another day we get that and convert it and go on to win the game.
“But the two teams really tried to play football the right way, Blackpool are coached by a great manager, a good footballing person.
“He’s got them playing the right way in very difficult conditions – the wind was howling and swirling, you didn’t know which way the wind was going to take the ball.
“We ended up getting a chance off one of them, when the wind caught the ball and wrongfooted their defence - so for the conditions and the way the game was played, possibly a draw was a fair result but we felt we had the lion’s share of possession.
“We’d expect Sean to do better with the chance in the first half but it’s got stuck under his feet and we’ve had a couple of good chances in the second half and probably should have had a penalty.
£We kept knocking on the door and forcing a very good team back, and make no mistake about it, Blackpool will be up there at the end of the season.”
Stanley face a double header over the festive period against two sides who will both be hoping to play a part in the promotion race – Doncaster tomorrow (Boxing Day) away from home and then a home game against Sunderland on Tuesday 29th December.