What Swindon Town can expect from Accrington Stanley

John Doolan is in charge of the 'Owd Reds and has been in the hotseat since March this year as he replaced club icon John Coleman, who managed over 500 games from 2014 to 2024.

The Lancashire outfit have lost one in seven across all competitions and will pose a tough test for the Robins on the weekend.

But what can Town expect on Saturday?

Accrington’s set up

A three back has been the go-to for Accrington in recent games, with a 3-4-1-2 being the preferred option since a 2-2 draw against league leaders Port Vale.

They’re a side that likes to transition quickly and aim to get the ball from defence to attack as soon as they can. They don’t rely on the two central midfielders to make chances as the wing-backs, the two strikers and Shaun Whalley in the attacking midfield role are their main areas of threat.

One of the strikers normally pushes out wide to support the wing-back in possession, whilst the 10 sits just in or outside the box whilst the other striker waits inside the area.

The way they attack means it’s hard to hit them on the counter, as they have two midfielders waiting for a loose ball and a back three who are committed to remaining in defence and don't push up often.

The wing-backs are similar to the way MK Dons operates theirs, but not exact. The Buckinghamshire side had both pushed high, but for Accrington, it’s the player on the left who tends to attack more, which is normally Jake Batty or Ben Woods whilst the right wing-back is more defensive and can sit deeper which provides support in the midfield.

Having looked at their defeats, a huge problem in the goals they’ve conceded are themselves. They can be their worst enemy at times and tend to concede scrappy goals. Against MK, they gave the ball away whilst playing out from the back, at Gillingham the goalkeeper William Crelin dropped the ball from a corner and against Cheltenham they couldn’t clear their lines which left their keeper in a tough position and conceded because of it.

Dan Kemp preparing to take a penalty in Town's 4-3 win last season (Image: Adver Archive) In the dugout

Doolan was appointed on a three-year deal following a spell as interim boss where he had overseen one defeat, one victory and one draw.

He had been a coach at the club since 2017 and his brief period in charge was deemed good enough by chairman Andy Holt to give him the full-time role.

He has taken charge of 30 games and has won 9, drawn six and lost 15, which gives him a 30% win percentage.

In his playing career he most notably played for Wigan Athletic, where he made 38 appearances and scored one goal in a four-year period.

Fan view

Ahead of Town’s trip to the Wham Stadium, the Advertiser spoke with Accrington fan @ASFCPlayers for their thoughts on the campaign so far.

The supporter said: “At the start of the season we played some good football bar Doncaster and Notts County.

“We found a self-destruct button where we would concede after 85 minutes most games to either lose or draw, when we should have won and it’s probably cost us at least seven to 10 points already this season.

“The players have been unbelievable since Morecambe (early October) after our first win of the season.”

With three wins on the bounce, Stanley fans are in a positive mood ahead of the clash on the weekend.

“Without being too confident, we’ve had some really good wins recently, Gillingham (2-1) Chesterfield (3-0), and drew against Port Vale and Walsall so we are really optimistic and looking to push on and create a gap between us and the bottom two teams.”

Manager Doolan was met with mixed thoughts from fans when he put pen to paper earlier this year, as he had a big role to fill.

Over previous weeks, he has got on the right side with fans following their upwards curve.

“It was always going to be tough for anyone taking over Coleman for his achievement’s here, look at Man United, they’re still trying to replace Sir Alex Ferguson 11 years on!

“We did have a tough start this season in getting the first win and a few fans did start to question John Doolan but I’m absolutely made up for him steering us back on track in recent weeks!”

On players to watch out for, the fan said: “It’s hard to pick a standout danger man in recent weeks.

“Costelloe bagged a handful, Rawson is a man mountain at the back and Josh Woods struggled to get game time over the last year or two but has scored four in his last five - so he’s flying!”