Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman has told his players to play the opposing team rather than their reputation during the League One clash with Sunderland tonight.
Stanley continue their search for a first win since the turn of the year in League One when they take the trip to Wearside to face Sunderland this evening.
The visitors will take to the field as underdogs at the Stadium of Light, but Coleman wants a shock to be sprung.
Despite the gulf in league placings between the two sides, Coleman has urged his players to remember, despite Sunderland's standing as a big club, that it is just eleven vs eleven.
The Stanley boss also insisted his team will treat the game against Sunderland as just another league outing, despite it being televised.
“They’re a big club who not so long ago were in the Premiership”, Coleman told the club’s official website.
“But they’re not the only club who are plying their trade at this level, or indeed lower, who have played there.
“People will make a lot of it as the archetypal, David v Goliath, big club/small club story, but we just think it’s two teams playing each other in a league game.
“Obviously it’s a big stadium and you’d expect your players to respond to the fact that they’re playing in front of a big crowd, and appearing on TV, but when you boil it down it’s still 11 v 11 and that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”
Stanley, who suffered a 2-0 defeat at Scunthorpe United in their last outing, have yet to score a league goal since the turn of the year.
