Stanley manager John Coleman insists his side need to put last season’s disappointment behind them once and for all as the new League Two campaign gets underway this weekend.

The Reds have their first competitive match on Saturday when they host Doncaster Rovers at the Wham Stadium.

Stanley suffered heartbreak last season when they narrowly missed out on promotion to League One, first via the automatic places and then during the play-offs.

It has taken a lot of time for some of the players to get over the setback, but Coleman is adamant that everybody needs to move on and focus on the future.

“We have to put the disappointment of last season behind us, time moves on and it’s all about the fresh challenge,” he told the club’s official website.

“The lads have looked sharp in training and I am excited for the season to start now.”

Accrington completed their pre-season campaign on Saturday when they drew 0-0 at National League North side Halifax Town.

It was the first clean sheet that the Reds have picked up during their run of friendlies, and Coleman was happy with his defence.

“We’re delighted with the clean sheet. I thought we defended really well, especially in the second half when they didn’t cause us too many problems,” he said.

“Obviously we would’ve liked to score and win the game because we had chances in the second half.

“In the first half I thought we were wasteful in possession and looked a little bit sloppy.

“You have to get that rustiness out of your system and it’s better to do it in these games than in the league. I thought we pinned them in a lot more in the second half for longer periods and got back to playing the way I know we can play.”

Coleman has been pleased with defensive pair Omar Beckles and Mark Hughes in particular, and hopes that the team can now start to perform at the other end of the pitch.

“I think Omar Beckles and Mark Hughes are starting to form a solid partnership and now we need to build on being a threat going forward and that’s something we have worked on this week,” he said. “In terms of our goalkeepers, Aaron had a couple of shots straight at him and he saved the penalty and that was about it. Elliot had less to do.”