IT is four years since Accrington Stanley reached the League Two play-offs for the first, and so far last, time. But Reds boss John Coleman still bears the mental scars for their semi-final defeat.

“They came here and did a job on us in the play-offs – some might say by foul means, some might say by fair,” he reflected.

MORE TOP STORIES:

“I’ve never seen a game where you’ve had 12 minutes added time in the first half for what you might describe as shenanigans.”

The fact that tomorrow’s opponents Stevenage, their play-off foes, look set to be playing for a place in League One again via the end of season lottery rubs salt into the wounds.

But Coleman hopes his class of 2014/15 can go some way to healing painful memories as they bid to derail Graham Westley’s latest top seven bid, and put themselves in a frame of mind to mount a challenge themselves next season.

Stanley secured mathematical safety and a 10th season back in the Football League with Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Hartlepool United.

But Coleman is convinced his players are good enough to set their sights higher.

“We want to be challenging at the top and we’ve got to get the players to believe in themselves,” he said.

“As I’ve said before it doesn’t matter what budgets you’re on you’ve got to try to aim for certainly the play-offs.”

However, the Stanley boss acknowledged staying up this season was no mean feat.

“It’s testament to a lot of hard work by a lot of different people, not just the people on the pitch and the management team.

“There are a lot of people that put in a great deal of effort for very little credit really,” said the 52-year-old, who returned for a second spell in charge in September.

“But certainly for the group of players we’ve got we’ve once again proved people wrong, and possibly that’s got to be your first motivation.

“We’re all delighted that having got ourselves into a tricky spot that we’ve got out of it, but we still should be aiming higher than this.

“This group of players could compete with anyone who will end up in the play-offs.

“We’ve just lacked consistency and have conceded horrendous goals.

“But if you give the goals away as regularly as we have done this season – poor goals – you’re not going to get what you probably think you’re overall general play deserves.

“If we’ve got to set ourselves to do one thing next season it’s to get a positive goal difference,” he went on to say.