Stanley boss John Coleman was full of praise for his players as they beat Notts County 2-1 in their FA Cup First Round replay.

The Magpies had taken the lead early on through Ronan Murray but goals from Luke Joyce and Marcus Carver sent the Reds into the second round at the expense of their League One opponents.

“The players deserve the credit more than myself,” he said. “They’ve rolled their sleeves up and it was a tough game because Notts County are a very good side. It was difficult to overcome them.

“The players have showed a lot of character, grit and determination to grind out a win that I think they thoroughly deserved.”

It may have been a different story had County been awarded a penalty in the first half when Jack Rose challenged Garry Thompson to an underhit back-pass but Coleman was relieved that Lady Luck was smiling on his men.

“I must admit, if I was Shaun Derry I would feel aggrieved not to get a penalty at 1-0. That can change the game but that’s the little bit of luck you need in football.

“People often sweep away how important a part luck can play as a manager and as a player,” he added.

“We’ve ridden our luck, dug in and all of the players have put in great performances. All of the players would be a minimum of 8/10 tonight and when that happens you generally win the game.”

Victory for Stanley means that they will host Yeovil Town in Round Two but the manager isn’t anticipating an easy ride against the League One strugglers.

“It will be a totally different game and we’ll have to apply totally different tactics to try and win it,” he said.

“We know it’s going to be tough but we know that we can take the game to most teams in our league and the league above.”