Final Position: 20
Top Goalscorer: Paul Mullin (16)
Player of the Season: Paul Mullin
A whole host of candidates for the ever fighting
Andy Todd scored and created countless good goals from midfield and Peter Cavanagh was their defensive rock in a difficult debut season for the minnows.
But, Paul Mullin's contribution of sixteen goals cannot be over-looked as a main factor for their survival.
His finishing exploits proved enough to keep
The veteran front man added steadily to his total over the campaign and led the top line with style. He was voted the fans player of the season and is a firm favourite with the crowd in his role as talisman to
The forward has made almost 400 appearances for the
Against Notts: The Magpies took all six points from
County needed three goals at
But, in the final minute Paul Mullin and Gary Roberts netted to make the score look respectable.
It was more a case of Notts letting Stanley back in the game but a sound second half display from the visitors always un-nerved Notts. County could count themselves lucky for their first half superiority.
At the Fraser Eagle, Lawrie Dudfield gave the Magpies an early lead inside the opening ten minutes. David Brown levelled five minutes later before Jason Lee hit the games winner with just twenty minutes on the clock.
The game died down but such was
Defining Moment: Assuring League Two survival with a 3-2 win over fellow struggling
Stanley never quite done enough all season to steer themselves out of the frame for the drop but winning from behind over the Silkmen made them mathematically free of worry on the final day of the campaign.
Highlight:
Five different scorers for the Reds capped an impressive afternoon for the newly promoted side.
They then went on to an unbeaten run of nine games and made the Fraser Eagle a fortress where they picked up ten wins their over the season.
Losing just seven of twenty-three league home games set the platform for a season of survival.
Lowlight:
At Christmas they were odds on favourite for the drop and survival looked a million miles away. Questions were looming over manager and players alike.
The Mad Verdict: Boss John Coleman has master-minded
It was a bitter blow when they lost striker Gary Roberts to Championship club
A group effort from the team has aided their survival in a season of fits and starts.
Good runs and bad runs left them in and out of the relegation fight but in then end their decent home form was enough.
They struggled to adapt in the early stages of the season but soon found their feet with some encouraging results against the likes of
They hit a big slump between October and the New Year when it looked as if survival could be asking too much.
But, somehow they scrapped and scrapped and now look well worth their place in the division.
What's Next? The target next season will again be survival but more so consolidation in the league.
They will be hoping to have safety sealed earlier than the penultimate game of the season this time around.
With only three away wins all campaign on their travels; their away form will be an obvious area to work on.
If they can show a bit more fight away coupled with their impressive home record,
Defenders Robbie Williams and Phil Edwards as well as keeper Ian Dunbavin and forward Leighton McGiven have recently signed deals with the club that will boost the Reds for the coming season.
The Stanley