ELEVEN games, five wins, two defeats and two award nominations – it is fair to say Accrington Stanley have started the season like a house on fire.

In fact, this has been their best start to a Football League campaign as they sit seventh in the League Two table, just two points outside the automatic promotion places.

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As a reward for their flying start, manager John Coleman and midfielder Matt Crooks have been nominated for the League Two Manager and Player of the Month awards for September respectively.

No Stanley player has won a divisional award since Bryan Hughes back in December 2011, the season after Stanley made the League Two play-offs.

With the current Reds class in fine form, this could be their year to break into the division’s top seven again.

They certainly have the ingredients. Current stars Terry Gornell, Andy Procter, Dean Winnard and Sean McConville, guided by manager Coleman, all featured in that famous Stanley season, which ended in the play-off semi-finals at the hands of a Stevenage side who went on to gain promotion.

And, having started the last three seasons slowly, Stanley have 19 points from their opening 11 games, four more than the class of 2011.

The squad’s strength in depth is another pointer towards success with the Reds having plenty of options, and crucially, a settled squad. Stanley have relied on the loan market in recent years, but currently have just one temporary player in their ranks in Joe Wright.

And the squad strength means that players like Procter, Anthony Barry and Shay McCartan have been restricted only to cameo appearances in the side so far this term.

Then, of course, there is the multitude of talented young players. Crooks’ impact has been profound, with five goals already this season, while forward Josh Windass has six goals and performances that are earning rave reviews.

The talk within the club will, of course, be that the season is a marathon not a sprint.

But with the team in this form Stanley fans have reason to dream.