Newly appointed player-coach Paul Cook spoke to the media before he and Jimmy Bell set to work preparing the squad for the new season.
"This is a great time for Accrington Stanley, there is a real buzz around the place and we just can't wait to get started. The facilities that we have been given are second to none, and now we have to make sure we do our bit in getting the team ready for the new season. We have a great bunch of lads here who are all keen and capable of bringing success on the pitch"
Chairman Eric Whalley also looked exited as he watched his team go full time.
"It is a big move for us but one we felt we had to take if we were serious about getting back into the Football League. We are happy that the club is strong enough financially, we have a great stadium and a very promising playing squad for the coming season and so everyone is really looking forward to mounting a serious challenge for promotion in 2004/05. It is also great for Accrington to once again have a full time professional football club, we are very much aware that we are a big part of the local community and I am sure that the town will continue to benefit as the club moves forward"
The original club collapsed in 1962 and for 4 years Accrington was l;eft without a football club. The team was then re-formed in 1968 and since then has climbed its way up the football pyramid and gained promotion to the Nationwide Conference where they finished 10th and had a fantastic FA Cup run in an extremely sucessful first season in the Conference. The club are now just one promotion away from reaching the newly-named Coca-Cola League Championship Two, formally known as the Third Division.
There is real hope and expectation in the town of Accrington ahead of the coming season with fans believing that John Coleman's full-time squad can re-gain their rightful place in the Football League.