MX23RW : Tuesday, January 29 11:25:13
Jan 26, 2019 at 12.30pm UK at ​Crown Ground
Attendance: 5,397
AccringtonAccrington Stanley
0-1
DerbyDerby County

Barlaser (59')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Waghorn (78')
Bogle (90')

John Coleman: People have written us off and been left with egg on their face

John Coleman: People have written us off and been left with egg on their face
© Reuters
The Accrington manager is eyeing an upset when his side face Derby this weekend.

Accrington have the opportunity to make history at the weekend, but manager John Coleman insists it would be no surprise to him if they upset the odds against Derby.

Stanley have never before progressed beyond the fourth round of the FA Cup and standing in the way of their latest attempt to do so are the Rams, who are pushing for promotion to the Premier League under Frank Lampard.

Coleman admitted he was irritated at what he saw as his side, who currently sit 14th in Sky Bet League One, being written off when watching Derby creep past Southampton in a televised third-round replay.

Accrington saw off Derby's Championship rivals Ipswich last time out and Coleman, while accepting his side are the underdogs, is intent on proving the doubters wrong again.

He said: "I wouldn't be surprised if we beat them. I'd be delighted but I wouldn't be surprised.

"We're pleased we're at home, that gives us more of a fighting chance. Derby are the favourites and rightly so, but I was intrigued by how readily all the pundits and the commentators were to write us off.

"When I was watching that replay, it didn't matter who was going to win that game, they were going to have a walkover against Accrington, according to the pundits.

"There's a little bit of motivation for our players to try to prove them wrong.

"Lots of people have written us off time and time again and they've been left with egg on their faces. We do enjoy trying to confound them.

"When it all boils down to it, it's 11 v 11 on Saturday. It's not their fans versus our fans, it's not that the fact that they're a top Championship side with a load of money.

"At the nitty gritty it's 11 v 11 and they've all got two arms and two legs so we'll just get on with it."

Coleman believes the passing styles of both sides means the sold-out clash at the 5,400 capacity Wham Stadium could resemble "Barcelona versus Real Madrid".

The 56-year-old Liverpudlian has had more than 1,000 matches as a manager, having begun his managerial career with non-league Ashton United in 1997.

Former England and Chelsea midfielder Lampard is in the infancy of his coaching career, yet Coleman insists he harbours no ill-will towards the former midfielder being handed a high-profile job at Derby despite no past experience.

Coleman added: "I don't know whether it's the empathy in me, but we're all doing the same job and I don't like to see anybody struggle, I like to see people thrive.

"I've got a lot of respect for (Lampard) as a player, I've gotten so much enjoyment out of watching him play, the last thing I would want him to do now is fail."

Accrington striker Billy Kee has urged his team-mates to enjoy the occasion as opportunities to pit their wits against higher-class opponents are few and far between.

He said: "You don't get many chances like this in your career, it's massive and I think that's what we'll all relish."


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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Luton TownLuton29178455253059
2Portsmouth28176547272057
3Barnsley28167549242555
4Charlton AthleticCharlton30166847311654
5Sunderland271411248262253
6Peterborough UnitedPeterborough2913974738948
7Doncaster RoversDoncaster28137851371446
8Blackpool2811982925442
9Wycombe WanderersWycombe29118103940-141
10Fleetwood Town30109114134739
11Coventry CityCoventry30116133136-539
12Southend UnitedSouthend29122153835338
13Burton Albion29107123939037
14Scunthorpe UnitedScunthorpe30107133854-1637
15Accrington StanleyAccrington2798102736-935
16Walsall2998123345-1235
17Plymouth ArgylePlymouth3096153852-1433
18Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury28710112935-631
19Gillingham2894153948-931
20Rochdale3087153661-2531
21Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2879123544-930
22Bristol Rovers2877142530-528
23Bradford CityBradford2984173248-1628
24AFC Wimbledon2965182245-2323

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