Coleman won’t stick a Dagger in Burnett
AFTER watching his side climb into the play-offs with a comfortable victory, Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman emerged in defence of his opposite number, rather than popping the champagne corks.
An early Seamus Conneely goal set Accrington on their way, with Matty Pearson adding the second their dominance deserved in first-half injury time. Shortly after the break Josh Windass got in on the act and although Nyron Nosworthy hit back in reply, Dagenham & Redbridge were well beaten.
While Accrington now sit seventh, the Daggers are rock bottom of the Football League, but Coleman insists Wayne Burnett is the right man for the job.
“I think Dagenham have been a great side for the last few years and I think their manager is coming in for unfair criticism,” he said.
“I think Wayne’s a smashing lad, he’s got a great outlook on football and I watched them four times last season and they were excellent. They’ve lost a lot of good players from the end of last season. Well we got the response I wanted. There’s been a lot of harsh words said and a lot of open talking gone on this week by all parties.
“We embrace the players, we like them to have a say and I’ve told them where I think we can improve.”
Accrington took the lead as early as the second minute through Conneely as Dagenham failed to deal with Windass’ corner and he fired past Daggers goalkeeper Liam O’Brien.
They doubled that advantage in first-half stoppage time as Pearson rose highest from a corner to head past a helpless O’Brien.
The hosts were 3-0 up shortly after the break. Piero Mingoia’s teasing run resulted in a pin-point cross for Windass who nodded in from closerange. Dagenham pulled one back just after the hour as veteran defender Nosworthy fired in from close range after Stanley had failed to clear.
Stanley thought they had scored again when Joe Wright headed home from a corner only for the assistant referee to raise his flag, but it mattered little.
“It wasn’t a good performance, the goalkeeper kept us in it,” Burnett said. “There were only two players who could come out of the game with and any credit.
“We were 1-0 down after two minutes and we hadn’t played well in the first-half but if we’d come in at 1-0 we’d have been still in the game but we gave away a stupid corner, then we concede again and the game’s over. I will never openly publically criticise my players but there were only two players here who could say they were OK.”