ACCRINGTON Stanley owner Andy Holt said the club could have "no better management team" after John Coleman, Jimmy Bell and John Doolan all signed new four-year contracts.

The trio were halfway through a four-year contract they penned in 2018 after being crowned League Two champions.

At the time it was the club's longest ever contract.

And Holt explained that the fresh offer was not just driven by Coleman's managerial qualities but also a desire to offer security in times of global uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“In these times of uncertainty we want to make sure there is security and certainty at the club," he said.

“It shows a level of commitment from both parties and, now the long term future in terms of the management is secure, we can get our heads down and get through Covid together and this delights me.

"As I have said all along, we can have no better management team for Accrington Stanley."

But Coleman said he did not require a contract to show his commitment to a club he has served for over 18 years across two spells in charge, returning six years ago tomorrow (September 18).

“I have no desire to leave and, as long as the club don’t want me to leave, that’s fine," said the Reds chief, speaking to the club's official website.

“I don’t need contracts, I never had them in the past and I don’t need them now.

“It’s good for security, it’s a little bit of security for me, Jimmy and John and for the club."

Assistant manager Bell said: “It means a lot to get a new contract as our hearts and souls are at the club and have been for a long while.

“The club is very stable now and it’s going forward so me, John and John are more than happy to be staying here longer and hopefully we can carry on building the way we have been the last couple of years.”

First team coach Doolan added: “I am really happy, I am really settled here and I have loved the club since day one, it’s been first class.

“I enjoy working with John and Jimmy and it’s a great club to be at.”

Coleman and Bell first joined the club in May 1999, going on to win three promotions and orchestrate the club's rise from the UniBond First Division to the Football League in the space of seven years.

They left to join Rochdale in January 2012, returning in September 2014 via a solo managerial spell for Coleman at Southport, while Bell took charge of Port Vale's development squad, before the pair reunited at Sligo Rovers.

Doolan joined the coaching staff in 2017 and the trio masterminded Stanley’s promotion to League One the following year.