IT was as if John Coleman had never been away.

The man who forged a reputation on throwing caution to the wind and trying to outscore opponents was back in the Accrington Stanley dugout at Northampton Town, presiding over one of the most remarkable games many inside Sixfields will have ever seen.

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The teams shared nine goals as Stanley took all three points with a 5-4 win in a match that was a dream for attackers and a nightmare for defenders.

Coleman handed debuts to two players signed on loan just the day before, with Blackburn’s John O’Sullivan and West Ham’s Sean Maguire havigng a big part to play.

Despite two attacking additions, Stanley’s opening goal came from a very unlikely source.

After an opening 15 minutes on the back foot the Reds went forward and won a corner, leading to Kal Naismith crossing from the left for centre back Rob Atkinson to meet the ball with a diving header and net his first goal for the club.

The lead lasted less than five minutes, with Marc Richards given the freedom of the penalty area to head home Joel Byrom’s corner and make it 1-1.

But there was scarcely time to regroup for either side before Coleman’s team retook the lead.

Two Northampton defenders collided trying to deal with Joe Lumley’s clearance and the ball bounced to O’Sullivan in the clear. The Irishman kept his cool to jink round goalkeeper Jordan Archer and restore the advantage. 2-1.

That goal turned the tide and Stanley were in the ascendancy, adding a third before the break.

Atkinson was cursed by poor and then good fortune as the rose to meet O’Sullivan’s cross and saw the ball cannon back off the post only to hit Archer and fly into the net. 3-1.

If the first half seemed hectic then the second was defensive pandemonium. Both sides had half chances for the opening exchanges but it took until the 75th minute for the visitors to find their fourth.

It was a stunning goal from O’Sullivan, who found himself alone on the left inside the box before electing to cut inside and past two defenders before slamming the ball into the roof of the net. 4-1.

An unlikely Northampton fightback required a swift response and it came when Ivan Toney stabbed in Gregor Robertson’s deflected shot to reduce the deficit. 4-2.

However, Maguire looked to have the last word seven minutes from time when he latched on to a Naismith flick from Aldred’s long ball and bamboozled Lee Collins before slotting the ball into the corner. 5-2.

Victory seemed secure but nerves jangled when Kaid Mohamed crossed for Toney to head in unmarked at the far post and make it 5-3, which led to Stanley dropping deep and hoping to see out time.

Five minutes of stoppage time suddenly seemed like a tall order and with four minutes negotiated Lumley saved superbly from Toney’s header but sub Darren Carter hammered home the rebound. 5-4.

The final minute saw Naismith elect to run down the clock and get a yellow card for his trouble but it proved to be enough to ensure that the Reds picked up the three points that their stunning attacking deserved.

For Coleman, it must have just been another quiet day back in the old office.