It might have come against the league leaders but after three wins on the bounce, Colchester United’s defeat against Accrington Stanley at the weekend came as a disappointment.

Nevertheless, John McGreal’s side – along with the majority of the other teams in League Two – might at least take comfort from the position that Stanley currently find themselves in, on the cusp of glory.

John Coleman’s side are on the verge of clinching promotion to League One – and their pending rise to the third tier offers hope to every other team in the division.

With average crowds of fewer than 1,800 at the Crown Ground and one of the smallest budgets in the division, few outside of Lancashire would surely have predicted Accrington's success, this season.

Yet after seven straight wins – a record currently only matched by the likes of Paris St Germain and Juventus in European football, they are certainly an all-conquering team at present.

Much like Phil Parkinson, the last manager to lead Colchester to promotion back in 2006, the experienced Coleman has assembled a squad that has won admirers across the division, McGreal included.

“They’re a terrific team and I compliment them on what they’re done and the fantastic team they’ve got there,” enthused the U’s head coach, after his team became the seventh successive team to fall victim to Accrington.

McGreal knows if they adopt the same mentality as Accrington have shown, they won’t go too far wrong.

The U’s boss added: “They don’t tend to get injuries – I’m looking at the boy (Mark) Hughes in the second half who had a heavily-strapped hamstring but wants to play.

“That’s where we’ve got to try and get ourselves, to emulate what they’re trying to do.”

Colchester have lost only four more games than Accrington this season - but now sit a whopping 22 points behind them.

The fact that Accrington were able to leave the Community Stadium with all three points following an even contest – their fifth 1-0 win in their last seven games – illustrates exactly why they are where they are.

It is a winning mentality that the U’s must strive to emulate if they want to become next season’s surprise package, in League Two.