LEAM Richardson will always have a soft spot for Accrington Stanley.

A servant of the club as player, coach and manager for eight years, the former Blackburn Rovers and Bolton defender has remained friends with familiar faces behind the scenes.

Paul Cook held all three positions during his Stanley spell, too.

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Now in charge at Fratton Park, where Richardson has joined him as assistant, the pair’s priority for at least 90 minutes tomorrow will be to put any affections for their old club to one side to take the points from them and maintain a push for the League Two top three.

But Richardson fully appreciates the constant battle to keep the Reds going, and speaks fondly of his former club.

“We both worked there and I have close friends there still behind the scenes,” said Richardson, who had a year in charge of Stanley after Cook left to manage Chesterfield.

“There are still people who work there full time who wish us the best.

“I played under the manager, John Coleman, for a long time and it’ll be nice to see him.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for John and I know how hard that job is.

“It’s not one to take with a pinch of salt because every day is fight.

“These clubs lose their best players year after year and keep going. You have to protect the players and keep them going.

“It’s a frustrating thing even for John now, to keep pulling rabbits out of the hat is difficult.

“It’s a fantastic job they do and to progress every year like they do every year is great.”

Richardson, who preserved Stanley’s League Two status in his year at the helm, said taking the club back to the Football League at the end of his first season was a high.

“I originally went there to keep fit for a week and ended up staying there for eight years!” he smiled.

“I was on a non-contract. I didn’t sign a contract for 12 months.

“We built a relationship with this young group of lads who were dead hungry.

“They’ve all gone on and progressed.

“Gary Roberts was one of them, and Rob Elliot at Newcastle.

“It was a good group to be involved in.”