Accrington get Rush boost

League Cup legend Ian Rush made a surprise appearance at Accrington Stanley's ground this week to wish the League new-boys all the best ahead of their glamour Carling Cup tie with Nottingham Forest.

Rush, a five-times winner (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 & 1995), gave Accrington boss John Coleman a taste of Cup glory by delivering the Carling Cup trophy to the Lancashire club's Fraser Eagle Stadium.

The former Liverpool striker - who netted an incredible 49 goals in the competition - will forever be associated with the club following his namecheck in the legendary 'Accrington Stanley: Who are They?' milk TV ads screened in the late 1980s.

Rush said: 'It's been a fantastic competition for me and I hope some of the success I had rubs off on Accrington.'

He added to Sky Sports News: 'It's gone from the lads in the dressing room giving me stick to my sons.

'They weren't even born when the advert was out, but with Accrington getting promotion, the advert was out again, they've seen it and are taking the mickey out of me for it.

'I'm glad for Accrington Stanley when you think about it now, playing Nottingham Forest in the cup.'

Accrington boss John Coleman feels the date with former European Cup winners Forest, live on Sky Sports 1 on Monday night, is a sign of how far the club have come.

Coleman said: 'If you look at when Nottingham Forest were European champions where Accrington were, I think we were about nine leagues apart.

'That shows how far we've come, they've slipped a little, but the fact is we are only one league away from them and we are going out there believing we can win the game.'

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