Accrington boss John Doolan wants his players to start targeting the higher reaches of the table rather than looking over their shoulder following a 2-0 win at Harrogate.
Goals from Paddy Madden and Benn Ward saw Stanley move up to 16th in the League Two standings and eight points clear of the relegation zone on the back of a six-game unbeaten run.
Madden’s first-half header also means Accrington have netted first in their last eight league contests and a delighted Doolan was impressed, too, with how his team responded following Saturday’s energy-sapping penalty shoot-out defeat to Mansfield after extra time – against a Harrogate side who had a free weekend.
He said: “We have a bit of momentum now and want to start looking up rather than down. We’re getting the fruits of our labour on the training ground and are showing our qualities, because this was a really professional performance.
“Saturday’s game will have taken a lot out of the players, but you wouldn’t have known it the way they ran around and passed the ball. They showed a lot of energy and, even after 70 minutes, when we might
have expected them to tire, they kept going.
“I was really happy with how we went about things and the first goal was a great move with a great ball in from Donald and Paddy doing what he’s been doing for years. Then, Benn goes and sticks a great goal in with his right foot from the edge of the box, having missed an easier chance from 12 yards on Saturday!”
Harrogate boss Simon Weaver was harangued by home fans during the second half and called on his players to show more resilience and personality despite the club’s injury issues worsening with midfielder Bryn Morris ruled out for this match and joint-top league scorer Stephen Duke-McKenna leaving the ground on crutches having been injured just three minutes after entering the action at half-time.
The second-bottom Sulphurites have taken just two points from a possible 27 with Weaver lamenting: “It’s been hard to get a consistent team out this season due to illness and injuries.
“We’ve had so many important players ruled out and ruled out for months and, as a club that doesn’t have one of the biggest budgets in the division, people will expect that to be hurting us and we are
really hurting.
“I’m sure other clubs will be hoping we’re going to go under, but we can’t get on the coach for the next game and feel sorry for ourselves. We need to show resilience, stand up to the challenge personality wise and have people who pick up the baton and produce moments, which was sadly lacking tonight.
“Physically, we didn’t earn the right to play and we weren’t inventive or exciting enough in front of our fans, so I understand their frustrations and myself and (assistant-manager) Paul (Thirlwell) are
big enough men to take that flak.”
