BILLY Kee believes Accrington boss John Coleman deserves huge credit for steering ‘Stanley’s strays’ to the brink of the title.

The Reds will be promoted to League One tonight if they beat Yeovil Town at the Wham Stadium or Exeter City fail to take three points from their home game with Chesterfield.

A place in the third tier would be a huge achievement for a club operating on the second smallest budget in the division while Stanley remain firmly in the title race and could go four points clear at the top with three points this evening.

And Kee, named the League Two player of the year on Sunday, believes Coleman, who won the manager of the year award, is the main reason for such a stellar season.

The 27-year-old joined the Reds in 2015 for a second spell with the club and has seen a steady rise in his career, something which he puts down to Coleman’s ability to spot players cast off elsewhere and improve them.

Kee cites Sean McConville, Mark Hughes and Scott Brown as other examples of players who have seen their stock rise since moving to the Wham Stadium.

“If you go with me, Yozza (Hughes), Sean and Scott, we are the strays,” said Kee. “He pulled us in and that is why we love the gaffer so much and why we want to fight for him so much.

“We didn’t have many offers and if we didn’t come back here to a club that suits all of us, then we probably wouldn’t be in football. I wouldn’t be in football, I know that.

“Yozza has been an absolute rock since he has come here. Three years ago people were saying his career was finished, now he is the best player in the league by far for me, and he is the best centre half I have ever played with.

“Scott came from Grimsby and he wasn’t playing at all, then he was one of our best players at the end of last season.

“He is 35 and he has more legs than the rest of us put together. Seamus Conneely - who knew him before he came here? The gaffer did. You can go on.

“Even Kayden (Jackson), I know he came from Barnsley but we got him here because he was out of favour, if he didn’t come here where would he be next year? He might have been in the Conference. The gaffer has seen something in him and he has brought him here.

“It puzzles my brain to think about how well the gaffer has done with bringing in players.

“My career was ending and he has reformed mine. I just think he needs more plaudits than he gets.”

Kee added: “He is a top man, I class him as a friend not just a manager and can’t speak highly enough of him.

“He is one of a kind, I have played under different kind of managers and (John) is honest, and not all managers are honest.

“He will tell you what he wants and tell you what he doesn’t want. He gets the best out of the players.

“The best thing about him is that he has got your back no matter what, he will never stitch you up or go behind your back, he will always pull you into the office first.

“It works with him and John (Doolan) and Jimmy (Bell) and they are a trio, a tripod, they complement each other.”

Coleman has never shied away from his promotion aim this term. From pre-season the Reds chief was confident in his squad’s ability and made no secrets that Stanley were targeting a top three finish, something Kee said has rubbed off on the players as the campaign has progressed.

“I never believed we would be in this position at the start of the year,” said the striker. “The gaffer did. I think he brought us in a week early and Jimmy was still on holiday, the gaffer was itching to go to get promotion and he drilled it in from week one.

“He knew from day one we were going to get promoted and I think that is from hard work and from him putting belief in the lads.”