Accrington Stanley boss looks to cure home blues

2:05pm Tuesday 29th April 2008

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JOHN Coleman believes Accrington Stanley will ditch their poor home record in readiness for next season.

The Reds have endured a miserable campaign at the Fraser Eagle Stadium this term, crashing to 14 League Two defeats.

And while a win over Bury in Saturday's final game of the campaign may provide some much-needed cheer for Stanley's suffering fans - following last weekend's comprehensive 3-1 win at Wrexham - it will fail to mask what has been a difficult time of it on home soil.

Attendances, subsequently, took a dip during the course of the season, but Coleman insists gates will improve with a winning side.

"If we start winning at home - which I know we can - then the gates will go up," said the Reds manager "People will come and watch a winning side, and an entertaining side.

"This season, we haven't been entertaining and that's the cold harsh reality.

"This is the first time we can say we've not won as many home games than we would expect to.

"But there's no reason to think that will be a common trend now.

"We will hope that it's an isolated season and that we go on and win a lot of home games next season."

It would seem unrealistic for Stanley to mount a charge towards the higher echelons of League Two on the division's lowest gates.

But Coleman steered the Reds to the Conference title with one of the lowest paid squads in the league.

And he believes there is no reason why Accrington - with a few canny signings in the summer - cannot mount a challenge up the table.

"The places we are shopping may not be the same as some of the places that bigger teams in League Two are shopping," he said.

"But there's always a hidden gem to be found."

He added: "Every time you go forward a league, it is going to be difficult.

"It's like a boxer - every time he takes a step up, he fights a better boxer.

"We expected it to be difficult in League Two, but we are quite bullish here and we've got a lot of self-belief."