AFTER moving into the top five of English football’s longest serving managers Accrington Stanley’s John Coleman says there is a current "short-termism" in the game.

The 57-year-old returned to the club in 2014 for his second spell as Accrington boss, and overall has more than 19 years of experience at the helm.

Coleman moved up to fifth following yesterday's confirmation that his good friend, Morecambe manager Jim Bentley, had resigned to join AFC Fylde.

He is now two places behind Burnley boss Sean Dyche and four behind Blackburn-born Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth, who leads the way in the top four tiers, with a record of seven years and 35 days in charge.

Coleman said: “I think there is a short-termism in terms of the longevity of managers.

"To climb from 91st to fifth in five years tells you how much people are rushing to change their manager.

“Sometimes when club’s change their manager you get a short-term pay-off, but quite a few teams have suffered from it.”

Bentley had been top of the pile having moved from player to manager during 17 years at the Globe Arena, taking over as boss in May 2011. 

“Jim is a good fella. I’ve known him a long time and I think we can relate to each other on numerous of things, particularly our football clubs," Coleman said.

 "Morecambe won’t be the same without him but football changes and things have to move on.”

The Stanley chief spoke of his pleasure in his role’s durability under owner Andy Holt, who four years to the day took over and cleared £1.2million of debt.

“There has been a major shift in the infrastructure of the club. It takes a lot of dedication. He needs a lot of credit for that," Coleman said.

“People have always said I’m a good fit for Accrington, but I don’t always subscribe to that. When you enjoy working and see that you are making in-roads you can be proud of what you do.”