ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman hopes star striker Billy Kee signing a new deal will inspire more of his Stanley squad to follow suit.

Kee put pen to paper on a new contract until the summer of 2018 earlier this week, following Seamus Conneely, Sean McConville and Matty Pearson in committing his long-term future to the club.

And Coleman is now hoping more players join Kee in signing up at the Wham Stadium.

"I hope so," said Coleman of whether more players would follow Kee's lead.

"All we can do is put proposals in front of them and hope they are all made of the same stock as Billy Kee. Get well paid for doing something that you love at a place that you love and where you get treated well."

Stanley have seen Matt Crooks and Josh Windass sign pre-contract agreements with Scottish Championship side Rangers rather then pen new deals with the Reds but Kee rejected offers from several clubs to commit his future to Accrington.

"That is great for us," said Coleman of the Kee deal.

On the possibility of losing some of his better players to bigger clubs Coleman added: "Don't get me wrong, it is frustrating but I accept it as part of the job that if players do well for me then they are going to go on and gain riches elsewhere.

"I just want the short time that they are with me that they give their all. Then it is is a win, win."

Stanley have several players out of contract this summer and are in the midst of a League Two promotion race ahead of Saturday's home game with Cambridge United and Coleman admits that makes his job of planning for next season a tricky one.

"It is very difficult," he said.

"But myself and the players really think that the difference between League One and League Two is not as big as people make it out to be. Just look at how well Burton have done with pretty much the same squad.

"If a player is good enough for me now then they will be good enough for me next year.

"I am not churlish enough to know that it doesn't exist because it does exist. But if I want to have a player now then I have got to be prepared to have him next year whatever league we are in."