By Steve Tervet

Liam Daish has called on Ebbsfleet supporters to back his side in greater numbers as the Blue Square Bet Premier season reaches a crucial stage.

The Fleet manager (pictured) guided the club to promotion last season and they are now looking to consolidate their status in non-league’s top division.

On the field, determined displays against a host of former Football League clubs have left Ebbsfleet in good shape but crowds at Stonebridge Road are lower than Daish would like. An average of 1,063 is among the lowest in the division, with the Fleet only breaking the 1,000 barrier five times in 13 home games so far.

"We need the crowd to keep behind us, to sing and make that noise," Daish said. "The players need that, they appreciate that. We need bigger crowds here, we need another 200 or 300 on the gate, I’ve always kept saying that.

"Things are a little bit tight at the moment, on a knife-edge, and we’ve got to support the players on the pitch who are working very hard, bringing a decent brand of football here at a good level. We’ve got full-time clubs coming here and we’re really trying everything to stay in this league."

Tuesday night’s draw against Cambridge United was the Fleet’s third in a row. No side has drawn more games in the division but Daish declared himself satisfied with another solid performance against full-time opposition.

He said: "We’ve played, in the last three games, Kidderminster, Barrow and now Cambridge. They’re three tough games and we haven’t been beaten.

"It’s another point against a side that’s sat in the play-offs, so the lads deserve a bit of credit. It probably didn’t break for us when we had the lion’s share in the second half but we kept on asking. You can pick certain things out but their effort was decent."