Nikki Bull says he understands how hard it must be to follow Margate at the moment but he has urged fans not to lose sight of the bigger picture.

Bull says all the cost-cutting measures initiated during the last few difficult months were put in place to safeguard the Vanarama National League South club's long-term future.

The downside has been a sharp decline in their fortunes on the pitch with Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to Bishop's Stortford - their 11th loss in a row - sending them to the foot of the table.

Boss Bull, whose team host sixth-placed Poole on Saturday, says he knows supporters must be 'distraught' over the club's depressing form, but he believes there are things happening in the background which give him hope for the future.

He explained: "I understand all the reasons why we've done what we had to do, I totally understand them and I'm here because I believe it was the correct thing to do.

"There's no point pretending you can carry on paying players and support staff with money you haven't got.

"It is what it is but behind the scenes there is so much positive stuff going on at the moment that I'm directly involved in.

"People don't know the amount of effort I'm putting in on certain things and hopefully there will be some good news in the few weeks."

Bull says results are hurting everyone at Hartsdown and he warned that the Blues may have to go through more short term pain to achieve any long-term benefits.

He added: "In the grand scheme of things losing 11 in a row now it will be soul destroying for the fans and it's soul destroying for me as a manager whose team it is, but behind the scenes, what I can see, where I think this can go it's a different story."

It is three years this week since Bull had his first training session as a player at Hartsdown, and he says for all the problems he's encountered as manager, he retains a strong belief that things can turn.

He added: "In my life the more people tell me I can't do something the more it makes me think 'why not?'

"For the last nine months people I know and respect in football have been saying 'Get out, protect yourself, just get out, you'll get another opportunity somewhere' but I don't really want an opportunity somewhere else.

"This club's been great to me and I'm trying to repay that loyalty with the bigger picture in mind."