Assistant boss Erkan Okay has called on the people of Soham to be their ‘12th man’ in a vital Saturday clash.

Rock-bottom Rangers host second-bottom Witham Town in a crucial Bostik North Division fixture at Julius Martin Lane, 3pm.

The struggling Greens have lost nine of their opening 11 league fixtures and have picked up just four points to date.

And Okay insisted: “It’s a huge game for us and one we desperately need to pick up a positive result in.

“Hopefully the fans will turn out in force and be a 12th man for us. We need everyone behind us as we try to drag ourselves up the table.

“We’ve played well on so many occasions this season, but we haven’t got the results to show for it.

“Now it is about doing whatever it takes to get the win and we know that three points on Saturday would get us off the bottom.

“But Witham are down there with us and they will be fighting and scrapping for every point as well.”

Soham were beaten 1-0 at Maldon & Tiptree last Saturday when undone by a goal on the stroke of half-time.

It was another match in which they performed much better than their lowly league position might suggest, but one in which they were again left empty-handed.

And the trip to Essex ended on a sour note with player-boss Robbie Mason stretched off in the closing stages after suffering a potentially serious knee injury.

Okay added: “When you see Robbie stay down in agony, you know it is something serious.

“There is a lot of swelling around his knee and he is still in a lot of pain. He’s going to hospital for a scan these week and we’re keeping our fingers crossed it’s not too bad.

“It wasn’t a nice way to end another frustrating afternoon in which we once again didn’t get the result we deserved last Saturday.

“We conceded a sloppy goal on the stroke of half-time and sadly that proved to be the difference.

“It’s the story of our season. Yet again we had the opposition manager saying he couldn’t understand how we are struggling at the bottom of the table.

“But that’s the position we find ourselves in and we have to do something about it.”

Rangers handed a debut to new signing Prince Mutswunguma at Maldon & Tiptree.

Mutswunguma is a former Cambridge United youngster who impressed at Step 5 level for Haverhill Rovers in the early part of this season. He’s on a dual registration deal from higher-level St Neots Town.