Leam Richardson knows it could get shirty at Accrington – and he doesn’t mind one bit.

Stanley have real competition for starting places at the Crown Ground with two big games coming up against league leaders Gillingham tomorrow followed by promotion hopefuls Rotherham on Tuesday.

And there is a battle for a Stanley starting shirt following the Reds’ superb 3-1 victory over Fleetwood on Tuesday.

Loan defender Rob Atkinson faces a fight to win his place back after missing the clash with his parent club and Will Hatfield, ill on Tuesday, could also have to settle for a place on the bench.

And Stanley’s joint top scorer Padraig Amond may have to be patient after striker James Beattie scored a penalty and had a part in the two other goals at Highbury.

"How can I change the team from Tuesday?" said Richardson, whose side are five points off the play-off places with a game in hand.

"Who can I leave out after they performed like that? I asked them to do something different and they stuck to the task, put 100 per cent effort in and I can’t leave anyone out if they play like that every week.

"I still think we need to add a couple of players to the squad, we need to be more diverse in what we do and we need to add some pace to team.

"If we do that it’s good for the management, the fans and the players as there will be plenty of competition because we want to kick on and do as well as we can."

Former England international Beattie, 34, was superb on his full Stanley debut and calmed nerves straight away at Highbury with a ninth minute penalty to end his three-year goal drought.

"I don’t think he felt any pressure – let’s face it he has taken bigger penalties in bigger places worth more money!" said his former Blackburn team-mate Richardson.

"James has been brilliant since he came in two weeks ago. He has done everything we have asked of him, he breeds confidence, he is brilliant in the dressing room and, when he came off on Tuesday, it’s like he is 21 again, shouting on the sidelines and giving advice.

"You could see his class and awareness on the pitch and he gave the centre halves real problems and hopefully he will carry on doing that."

Beattie, with the Reds until January in a player-coach role, was Richardson’s first real signing as boss – and it’s proving a shrewd bit of business.

"As a manager you are judged on decision-making," said Richardson.

"The more you get right, the more successful you are and I will be made up if I get the majority of my decisions right!"

One decision which is proving positive for the Reds is snapping midfielder George Miller up in the summer after his release from Preston North End.

The youngster has got two goals in the last three games – three for the season – and is making an impact after starting the season, having to sit on the sidelines with injury for six games and then fighting his way back into the starting pack.

"It was frustrating to miss games as they were just niggles but I am glad to be back in the side and it’s always nice to score," said Miller.

He admitted his time at Preston wasn’t the best towards the end of last season so he is glad to be playing regularly.

"It’s good at Accrington and I am enjoying my football again," he said. "I went through a bit of a rough spell at the end of last season so things have picked up for me and we want to do well as a team.

"I am learning a lot from the likes of Danny Schofield, Rommy Boco and James Beattie. It’s great there are players like that here.

"You can see James has got a great touch, you can see his ability and, as a young lad, you aspire to be where James has been and so it’s brilliant he is with us."

Miller has scored two goals from distance but his one against Fleetwood was a nice tap in.

"I was in the right place at the right time, I just got lucky," he smiled. "I don’t really think about scoring goals as it’s not mine or Joycey’s (Luke Joyce) main job but I am happy with three so far."

So it is leaders Gillingham next – who have only lost three games all season but their last defeat came on Tuesday against Exeter. "They will be confident, Martin Allen seems to have been on every channel going but rightly so as he has done a fantastic job there," said Richardson. "But at home we fancy ourselves against anyone."

Miller added: "I have only been in this league a short time but anyone seems able to beat anyone else.

"We have had good results against the top six and expect to pick up points at home so we are confident.

"We want to do well as we go into the Christmas period where there are a lot of games so it’s crucial we pick up the points now and get ourselves into a good position."