County go in search of a fourth straight win that could lift them into the play-off places in League Two this weekend, as we make the short trip to Accrington Stanley for the first time since 2011.
Last weekend’s ruthless 5-0 demolition of Wrexham proved to be one of County’s best displays since returning to the Football League; a third win on the bounce that lifted us up into 9th place.
Despite a slow start to the new campaign, Dave Challinor’s side now sit just one point off the play-off places, three behind the top three and six points adrift of league leaders, Notts County. For context, after nine games last season County were six points worse off in 16th and sat 17 points behind runaway leaders, Leyton Orient.
For Accrington, back in League Two for the first time since winning the title in 2018, it’s been a mixed start to the new campaign with four wins and four defeats in their opening nine fixtures. They sit just one point behind County in 12th but come into this game off the back of a disappointing defeat at Tranmere last time out.
John Coleman’s side enduring a frustrating afternoon at Prenton Park, going down 2-0 in a game that saw defender Jay Rich-Baghuelou sent off, and first-choice goalkeeper Toby Savin sustaining an injury that is expected to keep him out for several months.
Our Opponents:
Accrington Stanley’s five-year spell in League One officially came to an end on the final day of last season; the club suffering relegation for the first time in 24 years.
After a first ever promotion to the third tier as League Two champions in 2018, the Reds, led by club legend John Coleman, had continued to hold their own against sides with far bigger budgets, finishing 11th and 12th in 2021 and 2022.
They started last season in good form too; unbeaten in their first five games and sitting as high as ninth 11 games into the season, only four points off a play-off spot.
Just one point picked up from seven games across October and November, though, started a downward spiral that they would be unable to halt.
Despite strong runs in cup competitions, reaching the Fourth Round of the FA Cup and the semi-final of the Papa John’s Trophy, the Lancashire side’s slide down the table continued. Ten defeats from their final 14 league games sealed their fate, with a final day win at Oxford United not enough to save themselves.
Despite the disappointment of dropping back to League Two, Coleman’s position as boss was never in question; the 60-year-old has taken charge of over 1,000 games across two spells at the club, during which time he’s guided them from the seventh tier of English football to the third.
Upon relegation, Coleman predicted a difficult summer in terms of recruitment, with four of their seven additions over the close season being loan signings. Norwich’s defensive duo Lewis Shipley and Brad Hills have both joined, as have QPR defender Joe Gubbin and Birmingham forward Josh Andrews.
They have retained a number of key players however, and they got their season off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win over Newport County on opening day.
There have been further promising signs in home wins over Harrogate Town and Sutton United, as well as a superb 2-1 away win at Salford City. Consistency has been the problem so far though; only once have they recorded back-to-back wins, with defeats at Gillingham, Notts County and Tranmere, alongside a 3-0 thumping at home to Mansfield.
A stretched squad has not been helped by injuries lately; former County man Sean McConville was ruled out for three months in August, whilst key midfield duo Liam Coyle and Seamus Conneely both missed last week through injury. Last week’s injury for ‘keeper Slavin and Rich-Baghuelou’s three-game suspension have further complicated matters ahead of the weekend. The club have since moved to bring in Norwich City goalkeeper Jon McCracken, on a seven-day emergency loan deal.
Coleman though, will know that three points will take his side back above County in the league table and continue a reasonable start to life back in an incredibly competitive League Two, with the play-off places within touching distance.
Match Stats:
- This will be the 69th competitive meeting between the two sides, with County winning 31 encounters to Accrington’s 22. The last meeting between the two sides came in March 2011, Accrington winning 3-0 during the season that County were relegated from the EFL.
- Louie Barry became the first County player to score in six consecutive league games since Neil Matthews in 1991. A seventh in a row on Saturday would set a new post-war club record in a single season, and would come in just his tenth league appearance for the club.
- At least one of Louie Barry or Tanto Olaofe has scored in each of our last eight fixtures in all competitions.
