RAMSBOTTOM United’s stand-in manager Phil Edghill is calling on the club’s supporters to get behind the Evo-Stik strugglers as they battle to save their Premier status.

The Rams, who are yet to win a game this season, put in their best performance to date when they picked up their third point of the campaign by holding league leaders Blyth Spartans to a shock 0-0 draw at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium on Tuesday.

But with the Rams rooted to the bottom of the table and nine points from safety having played 14 games, a number of fans have voted with their feet in recent matches with only 176 attending Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Barwell.

And midfielder Edghill, who replaced Jon Robinson as player/manager last month, is urging supporters to stand by the club during what has been a difficult year, sparked by joint managers’ Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson’s departure to Salford City in January.

“I understand the fans’ frustration but they need to stick with us,” he said.

“The club were very successful under Bernard and Jonno and were always in the top half of the league, winning games and promotions.

“When they left earlier this year a number of players went with them and we’ve struggled to rebuild.

“To be bottom of the league is new territory for us and the fans have rightly expressed their disgruntlement at what is happening.

“But even top managers like Jose Mourinho struggle at times.

“What we really need the fans to do is come and support us and help get us through it.”

Successive promotions from the North West Counties League and Evo-Stik First Division North has seen the Rams jump up two divisions in three seasons.

And while club legend Robinson was able to stave off relegation last season, the Rams have failed to hit the ground running this term.

This has led to discontent in the stands and rumours of a crisis at the club, something which Edghill has refuted.

“I wouldn’t say the club is at a crisis stage. We are in a transitional stage,” he said.

“It took Bernard and Jonno a few years to get themselves in a position where they were challenging for league honours and that was in the North West Counties.

“To do it in a competitive league like the Evo-Stik Premier where we are up against big clubs who are very strong is difficult.

“Ramsbottom is a small club for the level it’s playing at and sometimes it’s difficult for the infrastructure of a club to follow what the players are doing on the pitch.

“I think that’s what we are struggling with at the moment.”

Looking to pull away from the bottom of the table, the Rams have made two new signings from Oldham this week with 19-year-old forward Jordan Bove and midfielder Jack Tuohy joining on one-month loans, and Edghill explains how hard it has been to recruit players this year.

“Both Robbo and I tried to get as many players through the door in the summer but as you can imagine we haven’t got millions of pounds at Ramsbottom United to lure players to the club.”

With no game on Saturday due to Ashton United’s FA Cup commitments, the Rams are now looking to resolve their managerial situation by the time they visit Marine on Tuesday.

Edghill, who joined the club in 2013 and spent 18 months as a player, is one of the candidates with an eye on the full-time vacancy.

He added: “I’m hoping to have a meeting this week to see what direction the club is going in and whether I’ll be a part of that,” he said.

“Whoever comes in, whether it’s me or somebody else, has a rebuilding job is needed to do.”

“But there is still three quarters of the season to go so hopefully the club can turn the situation around.”