AHEAD of his team’s trip to Wycombe, Accrington Stanley manager John Coleman professed himself confident that they could win 10 of their remaining 19 games to make a push for the play-offs.

And after they returned from Adams Park with three points after beating the automatic promotion chasing Chairboys, the boss could have been forgiven for feeling vindicated in his prediction.

The Reds ended a run of four games without a victory with a 2-1 win over Gary Waddock’s men thanks to a goal in either half from Joe Jacobson and Phil Edwards.

On a rain-soaked afternoon in Buckinghamshire the game only got underway after the sodden pitch came through an inspection at 1pm.

Chances were at a premium in the opening exchanges, though the home team had the ball in the net in the ninth minute.

Scott Donnelly whipped in a free kick that glanced off the forehead of Scott Rendell and flew beyond Stanley keeper Alex Cisak, who was preferred to Ian Dunbavin between the sticks. As Wycombe celebrated everyone looked to the assistant referee, who had his flag raised for a shirt pull in the box, and the goal was ruled out.

The first half an hour saw Stanley largely on the back foot, but they limited the fourth-placed Chairboys to very few openings and took the lead three minutes before the break from a corner.

Charlie Barnett delivered low into the box where Edwards and Terry Gornell both dummied the ball and it presented itself to Jacobson.

The full back calmly slotted it beyond Nikki Bull for his second of the season.

The Stanley boss must have been pleased with the half-time scoreline, and when his team came out for the second period they looked intent on keeping the ball despite the difficult conditions.

But disaster struck when a Gareth Ainsworth cross from the right wasn’t cleared by Edwards, the ball squirming under his foot and falling to Rendell, who evaded Dean Winnard and coolly found the bottom left corner.

Stanley needed to show character to respond, and they were almost in front again within two minutes.

Luke Joyce has not scored for over a year and the midfielder’s first effort hit a defender he was alive to the rebound and struck a better shot towards to bottom right corner.

Bull kept the score level as he parried the ball superbly away for a corner.

Now the game was much more open, with Wycombe creating a good opening of their own on 57.

Stuart Beavon crossed for Rendell in the area and the striker turned sharply but could only squeeze his shot the wrong side of the post.

Time was ticking away and with both sides desperate for three points Gornell went close, heading just wide.

As the light began to fade and the fog began to come down, it looked like a point would be the best Stanley could hope for. But eight minutes from the end Edwards had other ideas.

Barnett delivered a free kick invitingly into the box and, although Edwards was by no means the biggest man in the melee, he rose above two Wycombe defenders to guide a perfectly weighted header beyond Bull and into the net for his eighth of the season – his first from open play.

The remaining minutes would inevitably be about holding the lead, but in fact Stanley had a chance to put the result beyond doubt when Bull parried Gornell’s shot.

Despite passing up the opportunity to make it three, Stanley didn’t look nervous, even during five minutes of added time.

Marshalled by the superb Sean Hessey the Reds stood firm, with Cisak largely untested despite the home team pushing forward.

To meet their manager’s target the players now need to repeat the trick in nine of their remaining 18 fixtures.

Stranger things have happened.