THE mouthwatering tie Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman is looking forward to is the date against Morecambe in their first season back in the Nationwide Conference. is And it promises to be a Christmas and New Year cracker.
Coleman netted 199 goals in his 272 appearances for the Shrimps and he will relish their home game against his former club on Boxing Day and his trip to Christie Park on New Year's Day.
Jim Harvey's men made the play-offs last season but lost out in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals. "At least we will have got the feel of the league by the time we face Morecambe," said chairman Eric Whalley, a former Shrimps manager. "The league has been kind to us with those fixtures - better than Whitby away like we got last year!"
However, the Reds chief admitted that the trip to newly promoted side Aldershot on the opening day of the campaign wasn't what the club wanted. "It isn't a dream start to the season, but it will be a test for us. Then we have two homes games - a local derby against Leigh on Tuesday and face former league side Shrewsbury, the following Saturday.
"We get better crowds on Saturday so it will be a benchmark for what kind of crowds we can expect this season. And also one of our early games could be a Sky game which would be a huge boost for us."
Another local derby is Northwich Victoria, now managed by the former Burnley duo of Steve Davis and Brendan O'Connell. Stanley make the short trip to the Vics on October 4 and welcome them to the Crown Ground on February 21.
The final game of the season isn't a good one for Stanley though - a trip to former League side Exeter. "I think the time Stanley resigned from the league in 1962, we were meant to play Exeter on the final game of the season," said the Reds chairman. "That is a weird coincidence. Overall, I am happy with the fixtures.
"We don't seem to have too great a distance to travel on Tuesday nights - only Halifax and Chester early on. And it is quite good that the three teams that were promoted - Aldershot, Tamworth and ourselves - play each other early on. Hopefully it will be a good season."
