WHEN John Coleman orchestrated Accrington Stanley’s return to the Football League in 2006 he felt there was another promotion in the club.

Twelve years and two near misses later, the Reds are on the brink of achieving it.

Three points at home to Exeter City tomorrow will guarantee them one of the three automatic places with five games to go, and promotion to the third tier of English football - a first for the club.

But it is not just making history that drives Coleman. Still haunted by the one that got away, the Stanley boss wants to make amends.

Accrington had scored in every home game going into the final day, and all they had to do was continue the trend on May 7, 2016.

But their clash with Stevenage remained goalless. The woodwork got in the way in stoppage time. A point would have been enough to finish third had Bristol Rovers also drawn at home to Dagenham & Redbridge, but a last gasp winner for the Gas meant they snuck in at the death and broke Stanley’s hearts.

“I haven’t got over it,” said Coleman, who claims the most he has gone without thinking about it is 45 seconds.

“I’m bitterly disappointed, and the circumstances around it as well.

“My niece was going to be presenting the champagne and the banners from Sky Bet and she had to put them all back in the car. That hurt as well.

“Hopefully we can have a happy ending this time.”

Coleman made promotion the target on the first day of pre-season training and a seven-game winning run, with only two points dropped in their last 12 matches, has made it more a probability than a possibility.

But the mental scars of 2006, which ultimately resulted in a play-off semi-final defeat to AFC Wimbledon, means the champagne is not even chilling for Coleman, particularly given that tomorrow’s opponents are pushing for a place in the top three themselves.

“People think it’s a foregone conclusion and people think they’re turning up for a party and that we’ve already won the game,” said the Stanley boss.

“I’m sure Exeter have got a lot to say about that. It will be a difficult game, they’re in good form and have won quite a few games lately.

“They’ve got a lot to play for like we have, they’re a good footballing side so it should lend itself to being a smashing game.

“There is a prize at stake there for us and we’ll be going all out to get it, but we certainly don’t think we’ve already got it.

“You’ve seen all the publicity and all the cameras here (in the build-up). We’ve won nothing yet. No trophies have been handed out, and until we do get over the line we’ll be taking nothing for granted.”

Coleman is not the only one still smarting from 2006. Captain Seamus Conneely, top scorer Billy Kee, Sean McConville, Mark Hughes and Scott Brown remain key first team players from their season, and their own determination to put things right is something the Stanley boss sees as a benefit.

“I think it’s good. They’re determined not to go through that again,” he said. “They’ll spot the dangers probably earlier in the game, so let’s see.

“The pressure is on both teams for different reasons. We’ve got the expectations of a big crowd on Saturday that are coming to have a party, and we don’t want to be the ones who don’t let them have the party.

“We had this experience a couple of years ago so we know what it’s about.

“It’s not as sudden death as what it was last time but we’re focused on the job and we’ve got players who are keen to eradicate those memories of two years ago.”