John Coleman’s canny squad blend of experience, misfits and loans have promotion out of League One in their own handsUntil last week, for a few days at least, those basking in Arsenal’s struggles frivolously floated the idea of the club sparring with Accrington Stanley in the Championship. Such a meeting may seem incomputable but part of the sentence could soon ring true. It is increasingly difficult to ignore Accrington’s promotion credentials and, with at least two games in hand on those above them, John Coleman’s side are primed to supersede some of League One’s most famous names.On Saturday they plan to upstage second-placed Portsmouth and, if they earn maximum points from three games in hand on the leaders, Lincoln –...
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is proving his tactical ability every week but Accrington’s manager could not see the magic of his Cup tieIt was a pity John Coleman saw fit to savage Jon Moss, stealing the headlines when his players’ tremendous performance against Derby deserved more attention. The referee did not get everything right but the Accrington manager was wrong to describe his decisions as horrendous, particularly as his supposedly worst call only led to the corner that resulted in the goal. Frank Lampard was on safer ground talking of the magic of the FA Cup. “We had 2,500 fans here and I thought it was great, it felt like a proper game,” the Derby manager said. “I’ve played in Cup...
John Coleman spotted two misdemeanours where the referee did not as Cambridge United held his side at bay in League TwoA day after VAR made its inconspicuous British bow at Wembley Accrington Stanley felt it could have come in handy at Cambridge United. John Coleman, their manager, thought they should have had two penalties. “We’re not into video technology yet,” he said, before acknowledging, “but the referee’s got to make a split decision.”Coleman’s frustration was understandable. Victory would have put them top of League Two, with Notts County drawing. But in the hard-fought event it was probably as well no split‑second decision at either end separated the sides from goalless equality. In any case a year ago, with Cambridge leading...