John Coleman is confident his Stanley side will get back on track at Stevenage on Saturday.

The Reds’ 100 per cent record since Coleman’s return as manager was halted by Dagenham & Redbridge last Saturday.

That prevented them climbing into the play-off places and instead left them 16th in League Two.

But Stanley have a great chance to climb back up the table as they now face Stevenage and Hartlepool in the space of four days.

And Coleman believes the Reds will make a positive response after not getting the win they deserved against Dagenham.

“We’ve got two tough games and we’ve got to try to get back to winning ways,” he said.

“It’s disappointing that the minute we went into the top half we fluff our lines but I’m sure we’ll bounce back. We’ve got to accept that things like that happen in a season.

“Even the best teams lose games but you can’t let it happen too often, otherwise you’re not a good team. If it does happen too often then you have to sort out where it’s happening from and make alterations.”

Tom Aldred and Rob Atkinson were at fault for Dagenham’s two goals, which both came early in the second half. But Coleman sees no reason why he needs to make any alterations in the centre of defence.

“The previous two games Tom and Rob were absolutely superb so they were hurting – the fact that they allowed a lad to score two, in our opinion, cheap goals,” said the Reds’ boss.

“Dagenham had control (early in the second half) but didn’t put us under any pressure. They were two stupid goals.

“We could play that game 20 times and win 19 of them, but the one that mattered we didn’t.

“The players were all bitterly disappointed because they know there’s a chance to do something special this year.

“Every time you pass up three points it should hurt because they’re like gold dust, and we won’t get that opportunity again.”

Coleman accepted it was a different kind of pressure for his players last Saturday, being expected to win. And although he felt that didn’t affect their performance, they’ll be back in the underdog role for the trip to Stevenage.

“I thought we played with a freedom in the first half but the cutting edge wasn’t there,” he said.

“We had a few shots on target but we should have had more. Sometimes we choose the wrong option.

“But there is a lot to be positive about,” Coleman added. “We’re a good team and I’ll be amazed if we finish in the bottom half but thinking that and doing it are two different things.”

A late injury to keeper Aaron Chapman summed up a miserable afternoon for Coleman.

The 24-year-old, who joined on a two-month loan from Chesterfield last month, was stretchered off with an ankle injury and was due to see a
specialist on Wednesday.

Depending on the outcome, Coleman said he may look to bring in another keeper before the weekend although he can use Luke Simpson, who saved a penalty in last Sunday’s friendly at Sligo.

Coleman said on Chapman: “The lad’s done exceptionally well since he came here so that was more of a blow than losing the three points.”