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| The Crown Ground |
Preview: Accrington v Grimsby
By: Alex Green
Date: 12/04/2007
TOWN'S first trip to The Crown Ground (Fraser Eagle Stadium) in nearly half a century has The Mariners fighting for nothing in particular but pride. While Stanley desperately fight to keep the league place they earned so brilliantly last season.
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Home > 2006-2007 Season > Previews > Accrington (a) |
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The Opposition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Accrington Stanley were relegated from the football league in 1962 and after many years spent in the wilderness, stunned the football world by storming to the Conference title last season and retaking their position as a league team. Only seven years previous in 1999, Accrington were relegated to the Unibond Division 1 (3 divisions below league 2), but then appointed John Coleman who has overseen a dramatic upturn in the club’s fortunes.
Promotion to the Unibond Premier was at the first attempt in 2000 and they were promoted back to the Conference in 2003. After two seasons finishing tenth, Stanley made a solid start to last season before hitting top form in November. They picked up an incredible 50 points from a possible 54 (including 10 successive victories), opening up a 16 point lead and comfortably securing the championship with three games to spare.
Accrington currently lie in 18th place in League 2, three points ahead of Town. They made a reasonable start to the season and sat in 9th place only 6 weeks ago, however they are now on a run of four consecutive league defeats. Their away form has been starting to slip and they have lost their last three away games including an FA cup defeat at Mansfield; the only win on their travels this season came at Torquay. Their highlight of the season so far was undoubtedly knocking Notts Forest out of the Carling Cup.
The majority of Accrington’s team formed their success last season and originate from the non-league. Due to the club’s finances influencing the playing side, both this season’s top scorers, Gary Roberts and Ian Craney, have both gone on loan to higher division teams (Ipswich and Swansea respectively). Left back Leam Richardson is one of the most experienced players at the club having played for Bolton and Blackpool, whilst defenders Peter Cavanagh (left) and Robbie Williams have both racked up well over 200 appearances each.
After years spent in the non-league game, Paul Mullin (left) joined Stanley in 2000 at the age of 26. Since then he has scored 162 goals and won the player of the year award for four of the last five seasons. This season he has six goals so far and, in the absence of Roberts and Craney, is the major threat up front.
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Head to Head | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Town on paper have an excellent record against Stanley, the only problem is they have once played they once in the last 45 years, when the Mariners won 2-0 back at Blundell Park in November. P 23 W 17 D 0 L 6 F 52 A 26 Accrington Head-to-Head (4th on The Opposition Ladder)
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Last Meeting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Town last travelled to Accrington at the very start of the sixties, in what was to prove a good season for the Mariners, although they just missed out on promotion to Division Two. Rafferty (24) and Hunt (33) were amongst the top scorers in the Third Division that season, and they both scored at the Crown ground.
Grimsby Team: Barnett, Keeble, Richardson, Wellbourne, Carrington, Donovan, Scott, Cullen, Rafferty, Hunt, Duff.
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Accrington Stanley were relegated from the football league in 1962 and after many years spent in the wilderness, stunned the football world by storming to the Conference title last season and retaking their position as a league team. Only seven years previous in 1999, Accrington were relegated to the Unibond Division 1 (3 divisions below league 2), but then appointed John Coleman who has overseen a dramatic upturn in the club’s fortunes.
Accrington currently lie in 18th place in League 2, three points ahead of Town. They made a reasonable start to the season and sat in 9th place only 6 weeks ago, however they are now on a run of four consecutive league defeats. Their away form has been starting to slip and they have lost their last three away games including an FA cup defeat at Mansfield; the only win on their travels this season came at Torquay. Their highlight of the season so far was undoubtedly knocking Notts Forest out of the Carling Cup.
After years spent in the non-league game, Paul Mullin (left) joined Stanley in 2000 at the age of 26. Since then he has scored 162 goals and won the player of the year award for four of the last five seasons. This season he has six goals so far and, in the absence of Roberts and Craney, is the major threat up front.