Coleman frustrated by stalemate

Accrington manager John Coleman was left frustrated after a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Cheltenham that "felt like a defeat".

The Reds were looking for a third win on the spin but were held by Town and Coleman was upset with their poor defending and failure to take their chances. Wes Burns gave Cheltenham the lead with a 31st-minute looping header before sub Shay McCartan equalised for Stanley with a low drive on 59 minutes. The Reds dominated possession and pressed for the winner but Coleman said they chose the wrong option far too often. "I am so frustrated," said Coleman. "I am more upset than when we have lost this season. I know Cheltenham are fighting for their lives but I felt we had enough quality to win the game. "The goal we conceded was Keystone Cops defending and I have never known a season where so many individual mistakes have cost us. The team who get promoted will not make as many mistakes as us. "For the first 20 minutes they were all over the place and we should have put the game to bed then. There weren't many clear-cut chances in the game but the ones we had we didn't make the most of them. "We have got to be clinical. We have some good players but I have had to have harsh words after the game." Cheltenham boss Russell Milton, in only his second game in charge, feels his side are going in the right direction again after four defeats on the bounce, although the point does keep them in the bottom two. "This is a step in the right direction," said Milton. "It was an odd game as both teams scored against the run of play. "They had more of the possession in the first half and we scored with a well-worked goal and then we were enjoying our best spell when they scored. We have then had to dig in but we did well. "We have stopped the rot and we now have to go on from here. I will give the players until Monday off to have a well-earned break and then we will go again. I am convinced we will be alright."