Stanley manager John Coleman believes his side will pull off one of the greatest achievements in English football history if they earn promotion from League Two.

The Reds picked up a 2-1 victory at Hartlepool United on Tuesday to move them up to second in the table with just three matches remaining.

It means Stanley are now on the brink of automatic promotion to League One, and Coleman thinks it would be up there as a major accomplishment.

“We’re not counting down games or weeks anymore, there’s just hours left. It is four and a half hours between us and one of the greatest achievements in English football for them players,” he said.

“We’re in second now and we always believed we could finish there, so we’ve got to make it our mission to go into the last game of the season within touching distance of what we want.”

Up next for Accrington is a match against relegation-threatened York City at the Wham Stadium on Saturday.

York are second bottom, having won just seven of their 43 matches so far this season.

A defeat for York would confirm their relegation to the National League, but Coleman insists his players can not overlook their opponents.

“It’s a massive game on Saturday and just like when we played Morecambe, everyone is expecting us to win,” he said. “York won’t be thinking that though as they’re fighting for their lives so we’re expecting a tough match.

“We’ve got a good set of players in the dressing room and a good squad so we just need to keep focusing on our main aim.”

The win over Hartlepool on Tuesday came thanks to first half goals from Seamus Conneely and Tarique Fosu-Henry, and Coleman thought it was the greatest 45 minutes he had witnessed during his time in management.

“I’ve been managing for nearly 20 years and that’s the best first-half performance I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“The players were absolutely sensational. We asked them to play like Spurs did against Stoke on Monday and they did that.

“They were full of energy and making chances. It was a bit disappointing when we conceded but it didn’t let our heads drop.

“I’d have liked us to be a bit more comfortable in the second half as we surrendered possession a lot, but they didn’t really hurt us anyway.”