GOING FOR GLORY
John Coleman on how Accrington Stanley are upsetting the odds
IF ACCRINGTON Stanley go on to win promotion, as seems likely, from League Two, they will have achieved what they set out to do last summer.
“We sat everyone down at the start of the season and said, ‘We want to get promoted. If you’re not serious, go and do something else or play for someone else’,” said manager John Coleman.
“Everyone had to pull their weight, from non-footballing staff who have to support the infrastructure of the club to the players themselves. Everyone had to have that as their goal and, fortunately, everyone bought into it.”
And how. After winning 1-0 at Mansfield on Good Friday, Stanley are top of the table, three points ahead of second-placed Luton and with two games in hand.
More importantly, they had opened up a ten-point gap to fourth place, giving themselves every opportunity to win a place in the third tier for the first time since the club was formed in 1968, two years after the original Stanley went bust.
Not that Stanley stalwart Coleman is counting his chickens just yet.
“We are delighted where we are, but it guarantees nothing,” he said ahead of Friday’s important win at fellow promotion-chasers Mansfield. “There’s still a long way to go, a fifth of the season. We have to get our heads down.”
That’s understandable. The Lancashire side want to make sure
there is no repeat of a couple of seasons ago when they agonisingly missed out on promotion on the last day of the season and Bristol Rovers went up instead.
Then came play-off semi-final pain against AFC Wimbledon, who beat Plymouth in the Wembley final. Last term, Plymouth also took the step to League One, while Stanley trailed in 13th and had to watch others enjoy the glory.
Tasty
Now, it is in their hands, though their remaining games don’t look easy, on paper anyway.
Pre-weekend, the only side from the bottom half that Accrington still had to play were Yeovil. There’s a tasty home match against Notts County, who occupy fourth place, to look forward to tomorrow, while their trip to thirdplaced Wycombe on Saturday, April 21 could prove decisive.
“It will be tough,” said Coleman. “We play a lot of the top sides, but it’s a funny league – there are no walkover games. You aren’t guaranteed three points against any opponent. You have to be at your best every game.
“The teams who are most consistent are the one who will come out on top. You have to work hard, and I think that’s what has set up apart this season – how hard we work.”
But Stanley can be confident. They have a record of 12 wins, one draw and one defeat in their 14 league games in 2018.
And they also have a prolific marksman in Billy Kee. The 27year-old is the top scorer in the division with 21 goals (22 in all comps).
The most precious was his clinical injury time winner in the topof-the-table showdown at Luton three weeks ago.
Kee has been open and honest about his battles with depression and anxiety. Amid the worst of his problems, Coleman told him to have a month off a year and a half ago.
It was crucial support at a time when Kee, who felt like he wanted to quit the game, needed it most. Perhaps his goals now are a reward for Coleman’s, and Accrington’s, unwavering support when he was at his lowest ebb.
“I think he knows that we have his best interests at heart,” said Coleman. “That’s not just me, it’s everyone at the club.
“Billy had had quite a few clubs, but he always seems more settled at Accrington and we get the best out of him. He’s vital to the way we play. It’s very rare that he plays well and we don’t. He not going to cover the ground (fellow striker) Kayden Jackson does, so we have to get him in the right areas.
“He can be a handful for any team and he’s a great lad as well. You can see how honest he is.
Honest
“He can look tired at times, but he often scores late on in games – we leave him on.”
Jackson has weighed in with 14 goals, Sean McConville has notched 12 and Jordan Clark has eight to his name.
No wonder Coleman is keen to stress it’s been a team effort to get Stanley where they are.
“All the players have taken a step forward,” said the 55-year-old. “They all want to be successful and work hard for each other. When you get that, you always have a chance.”
Not that many people expected the Wham Stadium outfit to be hitting so many high notes this term. They do not have the crowds or budget to compete with many of their League Two rivals.
They are up against big clubs like Luton, Notts County and Coventry. But Coleman doesn’t worry about that, he takes it all in his stride.
“Our lack of resources doesn’t mean we should be seen as second best,” he said. “We are rich in spirit.
“It’s not all about money and glamorous stadiums and facilities. We would like a new training ground, but we get on with what we have. You can moan or get on with it – we get on with it.”
If Stanley go up, it will be a feather in the cap for Coleman. The Liverpudlian enjoyed three promotions in his first spell in charge from 1999 to 2012 as they climbed from Non-League into the Football League.
He returned in 2014 after short stints with Rochdale, Southport and Sligo Rovers. Like Kee, he seems to be at his best at Accrington Stanley.
But ask him what promotion would mean to him personally and he brushes the question off.
“I’m just a small part of it,” he insisted. “I’m a member of staff like many others. I would be delighted for the fans and the players. The players are the ones who work hard week in, week out. Their attitude is fantastic and that makes it a pleasure to come into work.”
Next season, they may well be coming into work as League One players.