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But Coleman feared worst for champions

- JOHN LYONS

A HEAD of the 2005-06 season, John Coleman feared his side could be heading for relegation – instead they won the Conference!

A pair of tenth-placed finishes in the reformed club’s first two seasons in Non-League’s top tier hardly suggested Stanley would struggle.

But Coleman witnessed ominous signs on a pre-season trip to Scotland.

“I was really worried,” recalled the 57-year-old Liverpudlian when The NLP asked him about his memories of what turned out to be a momentous campaign.

“That summer we went to Scotland on tour. We didn’t play well against East Fife and I think it was Partick Thistle.

“We finished off with a game against Dundonald Bluebell. We won 2-1, but we were awful on the day – we struggled like mad. I had a crisis meeting with my assistant Jimmy Bell and coach Paul Cook – on that form we were going to get relegated.

“We then won our first two league games 1-0, but didn’t play well. Our keeper Stuart Jones retired through injury and we had a massive problem.”

Fortune

Then came a moment of fortune that Coleman believes helped massively – the arrival of talented young goalkeeper Darren Randolph, on loan from Charlton.

“I was hunting away – I’d spent two days on the phone and we were getting faxes in those days as well. I’d get a handful of them in the morning to have a look at.