JOHN Coleman says now is not the time for Accrington Stanley to feel sorry for themselves and believes he is in a fortunate position working with an understanding owner.

The Reds slipped to a 4-1 defeat at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night which put another dent in their push for promotion.

Stanley have now picked up just five points from a possible 18 in their last six outings – losing three times – to slip to 10th place in the League One standings.

But Coleman pointed out the fate of Harry Kewell who was sacked as Oldham Athletic boss at the weekend after just seven months in charge of the Latics.

In contrast, Stanley owner Andy Holt has been nothing but supportive towards his manager.

“I was thinking about the job actually,” said Coleman ahead of today’s trip to MK Dons. “I spoke to Harry Kewell after he’d left (Oldham).

“He’s a great lad Harry, you see his Crawley side when we won the league and they battered us home and away.

“He’s got good sides playing good football, and then out of the blue he just gets sacked and you think ‘why’s that going on?’

“So when you think about it like that, then you start thinking of myself and how fortunate you are that you’ve got an owner that can empathise with you. I spoke to him (Andy Holt) yesterday and he’s trying to pick me up.”

Stanley haven’t been helped with a growing injury list which includes strikers Colby Bishop – who missed the Bristol Rovers defeat – and Dion Charles who was taken off in the second half.

And having to play catch-up after the squad was hit by Covid-19 earlier in the season is also taking its toll.

“It’s such a difficult thing, football, when the injuries mount up,” he added. “Players don’t mean to get injured, they’re not queuing up to get on the treatment. I think there have been a few over the years, but not too many.

“It’s just part and parcel of the game and the way football’s gone this year with the lack of preparation time or less preparation time to start with, then having so many lads out at one time with Covid, then getting games postponed meaning that you’re playing Saturday-Tuesday.

“I’ve got no problem with playing Saturday-Tuesday every week, but when the physical demands of pushing for something and you’ve got to work hard and you’re playing the style of football we play, it’s probably bound to take its toll.

“We’ve just got to get through it because we’re not the only team in this situation, and we’ve got to remind ourselves of that. It’s easy to sit back and go ‘woe is me’ and feel sorry for ourselves.

“We’ve got to not feel sorry for ourselves, realise that everyone’s in the same boat and we’re still lucky to be involved in the professional football game and thinking of it more of a glass half-full rather than a glass half-empty.”