ROTHERHAM United boss Paul Warne paid John Coleman the ‘biggest compliment’ by saying it is no shock when Accrington Stanley beat the division’s so called big teams.

The League One leaders arrive at the Wham Stadium this afternoon to take on Coleman’s in-form Reds who are looking to make it four wins on the trot.

Warne said Stanley play with real freedom - and that was all down to Coleman.

“They’ve got a really good mix of experience and youth, but they have talented coaches there as well who work with a group of motivated lads,” Warne told Rotherham United's official website.

“They seem to get them from a similar area, and crucially, they all get on well with one another.”

He added: “I think they play with a real freedom and a level of confidence which comes from the manager and his belief in them. It’s not an upset when they beat teams at this level anymore and it’s expected, so that’s the biggest compliment I can pay to them.”

Warne is expected a hard game at the Wham Stadium but his confident he can leave with three points as the Millers push for promotion to the Championship.

“We had a really tough game against them at home and I though they were excellent,” he said.

“They’re a good footballing side who play four-four-two like us, and they’ve won three on the spin.

“We just have to be at our absolute best to compete with them which I think we will be. A lot of our lads have history there, namely Dan Barlaser, Crooksy and Icky, so it’s not like we go there and it’s unusual surroundings.

“Hopefully we can come away with a positive result on our travels. We’ll go there looking for three points as we do in every game, but we just need to leave there with something at least.”

Of the impact of ex-Stanley pair Crooks and Barlaser, the Millers boss said: “Crooksy has done really well and I think he ended last season as our best player.

“A lot of his play and his ability to get into the box is down to the fact that Dan Barlaser sits there for him, so as a pairing they’ve been really impressive, hence why other midfielders have struggled to get in.

“Those two have been excellent in the heart of the team and fortunately we’ve been able to keep them fit. I’m really pleased with those two, but I’m pleased with all of my players here.”