NIGEL Clough says that it has never been easy going to Accrington and he expects another tough game on Saturday.
The Brewers have been locking horns with Stanley for nearly 20 years with encounters going back to the Northern Premier league.
The two clubs were managed by John Coleman and Nigel Clough back then just as they are today, with both bosses having returned for second spells at clubs where they have made a major impact.
Clough said: “Us, Accrington and Wimbledon are all similar size clubs who have come through the leagues. It’s Accrington’s first year in League One and for John Coleman, who has been there a long time, gone and come back, it’s a brilliant achievement and will bring back some memories when we go back there.
“I remember going there in the Conference, playing ever so well and somehow losing the game and also a 3-3 there in the Unibond League where we got a late equaliser on a very cold day. I hope they have improved the changing rooms since we were there that day!
“The pitch was very hard that day as well and Sean Farrell should have played but we had to change the team when he saw the pitch and couldn’t play because of his back.
“We have great memories of that time, getting on the bus and having a bacon sandwich from Jock’s Café and getting back from midweek games at 2am. It was difficult, but happy times as no-one was in it for the money and the camaraderie was brilliant.
“The perception might be that because we have had a couple of seasons in the Championship that we are now a bigger club. We are not, we are still the same as Accrington.
“It’s never been an easy place to get a result and they have had a good start. You know what John Coleman’s teams are going to be about. They are going to fight and scrap and work incredibly hard.
“It will be a very evenly contested game on Saturday and we will want the same kind of attitudes as the lads used to show in non-league all those years ago."