Accrington Stanley, who are they?Well, they’re a team who just beat French giants Marseille in a pre-season friendly, that’s who.Stanley, perhaps most famous for starring in a 1980s milk advert in which a young lad asks who they were, took on the nine-time French champions at the AJ Bell Stadium on Thursday evening.And they secured a miraculous victory in front of 1,266 fans.This was no weak Marseille side. It featured former Newcastle forward Florian Thauvin, as well as ex-West Ham star Dimitri Payet.
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But Stanley, who finished 14th in League One last season, recorded a memorable 2-1 win.
They took the lead in the 28th minute through Sean McConville. It was 2-0 less than 10 minutes later, Offrande Zanzala converting from the penalty spot.
Marseille fielded a strong team
Thauvin pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 77th minute but Stanley held on.
Now as a reminder, Marseille finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and also played in the Europa League.
Former Bayern Munich player Luiz Gustavo and ex-Aston Villa left-back Jordan Amavi also started, while Netherlands international Kevin Strootman played the second half.
Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas has some explaining to do.
Stanley fans won’t be forgetting about this one in a while, though.
Their manager, John Coleman, went viral back in January after declaring he was “falling out of love with football” following a string of “horrendous decisions” made during Stanley’s FA Cup defeat to Derby.
“I’m rapidly falling out of love with football. I just wonder; what is the point anymore?” Coleman said on BT Sport.
“Every week you get stiffed by a horrendous decision and today is no different.”
How’re you feeling about football now, John?