The Reds held their League One opponents to a stalemate at Meadow Lane, ensuring their place in the Second Round draw tomorrow evening but the manager wanted more from his side going forward.

“There wasn’t much in the game,” he said. “I think both sides looked a bit edgy.The longer the game went on I think both sides didn’t want to lose it rather than win it.

“I’d have liked us to have been more of an attacking threat. We had a couple of half chances but didn’t really create a lot and it was as if we set out to contain them and we didn’t.

“We just couldn’t seem to get our attacking flow going.”

Influential loanees John O’Sullivan and Sean Maguire missed the game as they were refused permission to play by their parent clubs and Coleman lamented the lack of an attacking spark on a dull afternoon in Nottingham.

“We’ve had to make a couple of changes but the lads who have come in are good players and I’m not blaming them. We didn’t seem ourselves today going forward and hopefully we can rectify that.”

However, the clean sheet away from home, Stanley’s first in five matches, was one of the more pleasing aspects of the afternoon for the Scouser.

“We did really well defensively,” he mused. “You have to take your hat off to the lads and I thought Michael Liddle, on his comeback, was absolutely magnificent and clearly man of the match. That’s a testament to his character and the hard work he’s put in whilst he’s been out injured and people don’t see that.”

Meanwhile, there was also a return to action for Kal Naismith after he returned from compassionate leave following his recent bereavement with the manager pleased to have the Scot back in the fold.

He said: “Kal showed great character. We can’t rush him but he’s made of good stuff and the support he’s had from the players has been invaluable and it will continue to be invaluable.”