Jim Bentley hopes Morecambe's supporters will get the Mazuma Mobile Stadium 'bouncing'
Jim Bentley is hoping for some vociferous support as he prepares for his first home match back in charge of Morecambe.
The Shrimps host Truro City in a battle of the National League’s third and second-bottom teams on Saturday.
Both teams need three points with Morecambe six behind fifth-bottom Sutton United, having played a game more, while Truro are a point behind their hosts with a game in hand.
Bentley’s first game after replacing Ashvir Singh Johal for his second spell at the helm was Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Altrincham, after which he paid tribute to the travelling supporters.
He said: “They’re all massive games. Eighteen cup finals, this (Altrincham) is the first.
“We got a point, we’ve now got a home game on Saturday and we don’t look any further than that.
“All our energies go into that. We get a backing like that away from home, that was fantastic, credit to everyone who travelled over.
“We just need the town, the community to get behind us and let’s have that carnival atmosphere that we had for the only game I’ve watched at home this season, which was Altrincham (August’s 2-1 win).
“If we can get it like that again, get it bouncing, get behind the players and everyone’s got a positive mentality, hopefully they can cheer us on and we can get our first win – and suddenly the world looks a little bit rosier.
“There’s a lot of work ahead. We can’t look too far, we’ve gained a point: there’s plenty of positives within that point, there’s plenty of bits to work on but all systems go to get ourselves ready for the big one on Saturday.”
While the Shrimps’ league position is perilous, Bentley believes he has the players at his disposal who can climb the table.
He added: “There’s some good players, obviously we’ve got a few who haven’t played for a bit.
“There’s a decent blend: a little bit of experience, a little bit of pace, a little bit of know-how, some ability.
“When the ball turned over and we had opportunities to create, we either played it the wrong side, played it slightly behind, hit one of their men or gave it away cheaply, so I’m sure that will come because the ability and quality is in there.”