Stanley unlock door to land of milk and honey
ANDY holT went for a wander just after six o’clock, taking solace in silence before the bedlam struck.
Accrington stanley’s owner wanted a feel for the pitch, the surface his players would create history on and which fans would later invade in their hundreds. The pitch that talisman Billyy Kee would leave in tears of joy.
holt wanted to smell the occasion. suited and in his is trademark flat cap, he gazed d across towards an empty Clayton End and took one long, deep breath 10 yards from the centre circle.
This was the night. A climax to the most romantic story of this season, masterminded - by manager John n Coleman. little old stanley, ey, forever punching.
Kee headed into a marquee, quee, acting as a makeshift bar, tto bbe serenaded. The choruses went on long into the night. ‘it really is a miracle, isn’t it?’ holt said.
he is not wrong, even if promotion to the third tier for the first time ever felt like destiny. Coleman’s cavaliers, who’ve won 16 of their last 19 games, were exceptional and the prize is another £1million in the coffers. More importantly, here were memories for a lifetime.
‘someone said to me it’s like winning the world snooker championship with a toothpick,’ Coleman said. ‘i wouldn’t go that far but...
‘We might not be the richest club money-wise, facilities-wise, but i tell you what, we’re the richest in passion. We were an unstoppable force. i’ll never go on this run as a manager again.’
holt wore a knowing smile, a feeling of pride, when surveying the swelled Wham stadium, as packed as it’s ever been. Fans will be back next year, sunderland likely the biggest team arriving here in league one.
For the humblest of lancashire towns, often browbeaten and for ever in the shadow of Burnley and Blackburn, that the wider community is slowly engaging is evidence of real growth.
it felt like fate that league Two Player of the Year Kee would be the protagonist last night. Two goals in two minutes just before the half-hour, the first a smart header and the second an opportunistic pounce, and Accrington were in dreamland.
‘Coley’s a winner,’ holt said. ‘You want to see us on the coach back from games. We play a game called stripes, invented by John. You never quite know whether the rules are right. he’s changing them when he’s losing.’
Coleman has also ripped up the rulebook as manager during his second spell in charge here. A man uneasy with the limelight, Coleman became lost in the pandemonium last night. ‘i’ll get a lot of bouquets thrown at me but it’s about those boys,’ he said.
holt added: ‘it’s unbelievable on this budget (£17,000 a week). i get sick of people on bigger budgets saying ours isn’t true. i’m paying it — i know how much it is!’
holt’s ire might be aimed at Notts County manager Kevin Nolan, outspoken about finance last month. holt was more interested in a £10 bet with Coleman that more than 3,000 home fans turned up though. he won by 83. Those numbers are the true legacy of the most striking campaign in Accrington’s history. The club that wouldn’t die.
3,176 LAST night’s gate — Accrington’s biggest of the season. They average 1,790 — the second lowest in League Two