‘Special' is how John Coleman described Accrington Stanley after Saturday’s goalless draw – and that’s how the game felt.

Many outsiders would have expected a new-look Reds team to stutter and stumble in their opening game of the new season at one of the promotion hopefuls following the well documented departures after last season’s play-off heartbreak.

But, going into Coleman’s 12th season in charge, it looks like he has done it again, and rebuilt a team who will be a lot stronger than the bookmakers, as usual, are predicting.

Not that much is settled on one game but Coleman admitted that even he had to get his players believing again – and he hopes this game has done this.

"This summer people have seemed more keen to talk about the players that aren’t here than those who are here," said the Reds chief.

"The players who have left did a great job for us, they have moved on for their own reasons and good luck to them, but I have got to focus on the players who are here and the players who are here have got to do the same.

"I think I was possibly the most positive person in the changing room on Saturday and I had got to get the players to believe a bit more and I think it worked and it showed.

"You don’t get trophies for moral victories but I think we did get a moral victory at Northampton, even if it was just to prove it to ourselves.

"I think the players believe they are good players but some were licking their wounds because so many good players have left the club.

"But good players have left the club in the past and you have to move on – and we will."

The Reds were impressive considering there were three debutants and Burnley loanee Kevin Long had only linked up with the squad the day before.

But, while Cobblers striker Ade Akinfenwa is a handful for any defender, the young centre-half pairing of Long and Kern Miller stood strong, limiting his chances and making sure he didn’t have a big say on his return to Sixfields.

Miller was influential, he looked to be pushed in the area early on but the referee, Iain Williamson, was having none of it while, at the other end, the Barnsley loan man cleared a Jake Robinson effort off the line.

Reds’ new keeper Sean Murdoch dealt with the numerous long throws into the box and didn’t really have a shot to save, although there was one worrying moment when he rushed out to deny Robinson a clean shot on goal on the stroke of half-time.

The home fans were baying for blood, saying he was out of his area but replays showed he was on the edge of his box.

At the other end Charlie Barnett hit the bar with a free kick while Craig Lindfield had a near post effort saved by the Cobblers keeper Sam Walker.

While Coleman felt his side shaded it, he was happy enough with a point.

"I thought every player was magnificent," he added. "They put a great deal of energy into the game, never stopped going until the end trying to win the game and 11 players played 90 minutes, which was a good push.

"We left Sean Hessey and Ian Dunbavin out who had smashing seasons last season and we have possibly left our best performer of pre-season out of the squad altogether in Alan Burton.

"People might say we haven’t got a strong squad but Burto has been fantastic in pre-season and he will get his chance. Peter Murphy is chomping at the bit too, they are all raring to go."

And Coleman admitted it was a new policy this season to get away from focusing too much on the men in the middle.

"It’s too easy to blame referees for your own inadequacies. You don’t get too many who blame the referees when they win.

"We have got to get away from this culture from looking at outside influences and I have made a conscious effort to be the one who leads.

"I think the players showed a lot of discipline; they have stuck to what I said about not going over to the referee and complaining and getting on with the game and it made us concentrate and focus better."

All in all, the Reds have only won once on the opening day of a League Two campaign, via their only first-game goal – Paul Mullin at Wycombe.

But this was a vital point, not just as it was away from home but to give everyone a real buzz that the Reds can again achieve.

Coleman added: "We have got to take positives from everything and those are that we have a great set of supporters, we have a unique name and a unique place in the public’s hearts and history.

"Players and managers will come and go, eventually even me, and the club will still go on because we have fans who travel the best part of four hours, spend their hard earned money and never stop singing from start to end.

"That’s what makes it a special club and long may it continue."