Marseilles sunk
STANLEY........................... 2 MARSEILLES.................... 1
ACCRINGTON Stanley have been celebrating over the past week following their historic 2-1 victory over former Champions League winners Marseilles.
The Reds ran out winners at the AJ Bell Stadium, with goals from Sean McConville and Offrande Zanzala enough to overcome a Marseille side that featured the likes of Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin, and were managed by former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Stanley manager John Coleman was extremely pleased with the efforts he saw from his players, and was full of praise for all of their contributions.
“It was a good game, they played some terrific football in the first half. In the first five minutes, I thought it was going to be a long night when their lads chopped and sent five of our lads to the Trafford Centre!” he told the club’s official website.
“The lads were laughing about it at half-time but we stuck to our guns and warmed into the game.
“It was a great goal by Sean and great move for the penalty and we were on the front foot.
“In the second half, the changes made the game disjointed, we had to then see out the game and had enough in our locker to defend stoically at the end. Marseille used us as a training exercise and it was a training exercise for us as well.
“I sat our players down on the first day of pre-season and said everything you do from now until May, do it to win. Whether it’s a five-a-side game, a game of head tennis, a one-on-one challenge in training, do it to win.
“We lost 1-0 to Sligo on
Monday when we dominated for long periods of the game and the lads got the hairdryer treatment after the game and possibly a few of the new lads were taken aback.
“They say results don’t matter in pre-season and they don’t because you don’t get points but in grand scheme of things, it builds a desire to win and a habit of winning.
“We are trying to drum into them, everything you do do it to win.”
Several of the trialists that featured in the Stanley line-up in the clash with Marseille have since signed for Accrington on a permanent basis, and Coleman is pleased with the business he has done.
“We are not in a position to throw money at players so the ones we bring in have to get it right,” he said.
“I enjoy the recruitment side, I take most of the responsibility for it, which is unusual in today’s game. I prefer to get the ones I want and that will fit into our jigsaw.”
Marseille created the better chances in the opening stages of the match, with Valere Germain and Isaac Lihadji going close for the French side.
Morgan Sanson then missed out on an even bigger opportunity when he received the ball unmarked in the box but fired over the crossbar.
Stanley weathered the storm and took their chance when it came, with McConville heading home from Jordan Clark’s cross to open the scoring for the Reds.
McConville then earned his team a golden chance to double their lead as his hard work led to him being brought down in the area and earn a penalty. Zanzala stepped up and made no mistake, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 2-0.
Chances were few and far between after the break, with Thuvain making a rare one count late on for Marseille with a good finish.
It didn’t matter in the end, as Stanley held on for the famous win.