Accrington Stanley fans have reason to celebrate as veteran forward Shaun Whalley has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal, keeping him at the League Two club for the 2026-27 season.

At 38 years old, Whalley is proving that age is just a number. The experienced striker first donned the Stanley shirt from 2006 to 2008 before returning in the summer of 2022. Now, with 220 appearances across both spells, he's become a true club legend.

This season alone, Whalley has netted five goals in 34 games, showing he still has plenty left in the tank. His timing couldn't be better either, as Accrington prepare for their final League Two fixture of the campaign against Oldham Athletic on Saturday.

Manager John Doolan couldn't hide his excitement about the deal. "Everyone knows what Shaun's about, everyone knows what he gives on the field, his levels of performance, but what they don't see is how he is around the dressing room, on the training field, and he's just a top, top, top player," Doolan told the club website.

Drawing a perfect analogy, Doolan added: "You're always mindful of people's ages and stuff like that, but he's like a fine wine, he just keeps maturing, he just keeps getting better and better, so let's hope that happens again next season, and I'm sure it will."

Whalley's journey in football is a testament to his resilience. Starting his career at Chester, he's also made stops at Wrexham, Southport, Luton Town, and notably spent seven years with Shrewsbury Town before returning to his spiritual home at Accrington.

For Whalley, the decision was simple. "Everyone knows I love it here and I feel that the people here love me, so I want to continue playing for Accrington," he said. Looking ahead, he's already got his sights set on the future: "Obviously, the manager's going to look to recruit other players in the summer and it'll be exciting to see who we can bring in, and then going forward, I'm looking at having a really positive season, individually and as a team."