RADCLIFFE boss Lee Fowler believes he still has to win over a section of the club’s fanbase.

The Boro manager took over in February and had a far from straightforward introduction with the Northern Premier League season almost immediately cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now 14th eight games into the new campaign which is currently on hold, Fowler believes there is still a hangover from the surprise departures of ex-boss Jon Macken and his assistant Frank Sinclair.

The former Fleetwood and Wrexham midfielder has overseen a radical change in the playing squad and believes things are starting to come together having stepped in after a brief spell from temporary bosses Darren Lyons and Garry Vaughan.

“The fans have been brilliant,” Fowler said in a Q&A on the club’s YouTube channel.

“They’re backing me, they’re backing the players but last season is still there a little bit for me, I can feel it.

“There’s been three or four occasions this season where the atmosphere in the ground has been superb.

“We have got a lot to prove to them still and that comes by winning games of football.

“They can see we work hard, they can see the style of play we’re trying to implement, they’ve been very respectful of me and my team but ultimately I still think there’s that little hangover from the Jon and Frank era and the Daz (Darren Lyons) and Gaz (Vaughan) and Margy (Karl Marginson) situation.

“On the whole I’d say 85 per cent of the fans are with me and it’s about getting that other 15 per cent now and really making them loud and proud of the team.

“Once we’ve sorted out a couple of issues I’ve got no doubt we will be there or thereabouts.”

Fowler believes such was the high regard his promotion-winning predecessors were held in, no manager would have been able to immediately satisfy the fanbase.

“Because of the situation with Jon and Frank you could have brought in Jurgen Klopp and they still wouldn’t have been happy,” the Boro boss said.

“Some key players left too, it was difficult and to be honest with you from the day I got the job I was ready to rip the whole team out.

“It had to be done, I had to change everything, I had to do it my way and we had to create new heroes.

“I do think we’re on the right course to seeing a completely different style of play. I’m a big character and I believe what I’m doing is starting to come to fruition.”