DETERMINED Aldershot Town boss Danny Searle has issued a rallying cry to Shots fans: Let’s fill the East Bank!

The battle cry to swarm the iconic terrace at the EBB Stadium comes as the Shots head into the final dozen games of the season mired in a relegation scrap, sitting somewhat nervously just three points above the National League’s dreaded drop zone.

And Searle is keen for the supporters to be their 12th man on the run in – starting with Saturday’s crucial home game against bang in-form Boreham Wood.

“When I first came to the club, I saw the East Bank and it reminded me of my first ever experiences of football on a proper terrace with steep steps and barriers, when I stood on a milk crate because I couldn’t see. I looked at that East Bank and I thought ‘wow’.

“We had the game against Portsmouth and the fans were amazing that night considering it was a pre-season friendly. There were more than 2,000 there and the noise was unbelievable and I said to someone after the game ‘I can’t believe the noise, what a fantastic evening that was’ and they said ‘you haven’t heard anything yet, you wait until it’s really rocking’.

“It’s been playing on my mind ever since. We’ve had quite a few games at home this season when we’ve been good and we’ve had quite a few where we’ve not been so good, so to hear the noise that still comes out of it despite where we are in the league, I thought to myself ‘could you imagine if that was full – no away fans, just Aldershot fans?’”

So was born the social media hashtag campaign #filltheeast bank.

“We’re a club that relies on our attendances to fund our squad and our budget and this kills two birds with one stone,” said Searle.

“If we fill it it’s obviously a lot more revenue for the club, but probably the most important thing for me is the atmosphere that would create. I know full well the players would love to play in front of a full East Bank.

“The acoustics out of the stand are terrific. When the drum gets going and the supporters get going, it’s a proper football ground.”

The East Bank is believed to hold around 2,500 fans – and Searle knows how important a noisy EBB could be as the Shots aim to end a winless run of five games and climb to safety.

But he added: “Don’t fill it because we’re doing well, don’t fill it because you expect to see us win, don’t fill it because it’s about turning up on the day and if we win I’ll come back again and if we don’t I won’t, fill it because you are supporters of the club.

“And it’s not about what games we want to fill it for, we want to fill it every game.”