JOHN Coleman is hoping Accrington Stanley’s league form can transfer to the FA Cup.

An all-League Two tie against York City at the Wham Stadium should make the transition easier for the Reds, who are flying high in fourth.

The Stanley boss admitted he would have preferred to meet non-league opposition in the first round.

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But he said they could not have asked for more than a home tie, and has challenged his players to maintain their high standards.

“We would have liked a team from the lower leagues but you can’t have everything you wish for.

“But to be honest whoever you get drawn against there can be pitfalls. We’ve just got to be grateful that we’ve been drawn at home. We know it’s going to be a difficult game,” he said.

“Hopefully we can get a win and keep the winning momentum going and be in the hat.

“I’m expecting it to be tough against York because I know they’ve been playing better than their results suggest.

“We’ve got to get ourselves mentally and physically prepared to go out and start each game probably better than what we have been at home; start each game on the front foot. We can’t drop below our standards, the minute we do that we lose games like we did against Wimbledon.

“We didn’t play anywhere near like we can.

“We’ve got a method of playing and an ethos and a standard we’ve set ourselves and we’ve got to try to get as close to that standard as possible.”

Meanwhile, Stanley’s major shareholder Andy Holt’s takeover of the club has now been approved after he passed the Football League’s ‘fit and proper person’s test’.

Holt has now paid off the £1.2million club debt and will invest around £600,000 into the Reds.

“I can confirm the long-term debts of varying amounts have been paid off,” said Holt.

“Now everything has been approved, we are working on a business plan to get the club stable so it can break even in the future.

“It is going to take time, it won’t happen overnight, as we have to have meetings with various people but I want to make sure the club never goes bust again.

“We need to generate cash, we need to make it a better experience coming to watch Accrington.”