IT’S fair to say Ramsbottom United haven’t had the best of starts to the current campaign, but one of the stars of last season is backing them to turn it around.

The Rams have picked up just three points from their opening 14 games, leaving them rock bottom of the Evo-Stik Premier League and costing player-manager Jon Robinson his job.

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Rammy favourite Phil Edghill has been appointed as Robinson’s successor and he has an admirer in former Rams midfielder Donal McDermott, who played alongside him in helping the Rams escape relegation last season.

McDermott, whose time at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium led to him earning a contract at League One side Rochdale, is backing his former teammate to turn things around.

“Edgy is a leader on the pitch so I can see why the club picked him to be the next manager,” he said.

“He was great to play alongside as he was a big talker and helped the younger players through games at a tough time for the club.

“It’s a shame that Robbo has paid the price for a poor start but I hope the club can kick on now and turn things around.”

And there are signs of improvement for the Rams after Tuesday night’s encouraging 0-0 draw with league leaders Blyth Spartans.

McDermott, who started his career at Manchester City, joined the Rams in February and his three goals in 10 games brought him to the attention of Dale boss and former Blackburn Rovers defender Keith Hill.

After a somewhat nomadic career to date, McDermott, who had spells with Bournemouth and Dundalk after leaving City, admitted his career had hit the buffers prior to joining the Rams but says his time with the club helped him rediscover his love for football again.

“I’d lost my way a bit before coming to Ramsbottom but my time there was the first time in a while that I felt I was playing well again,” he said.

“The club gave me a platform to go on and play professional football again so of course I’ll always be thankful for that.”

After impressing on trial at Spotland, McDermott, who had a short spell with Salford City before joining Ramsbottom, signed a one-year deal with Dale and has since become a key member of Hill’s side.

He started the season with two goals in his first three games, including a 25-yard stunner against Coventry City in the Capital One Cup, to earn rave reviews from the Spotland faithful.

Dale currently sit sixth in the League One table after an encouraging start and McDermott said he was excited to be part of a successful squad.

“It’s been great to be back playing professionally and I’ve really enjoyed the season so far,” he said.

“To start off by scoring against Coventry and Blackpool was great for me and hopefully there are more goals on the horizon.

“As a team we’ve started well; we’ve hit a rough patch recently but hopefully we can turn it around fairly soon.

“There are some really exciting games coming up; Sheffield United away on Saturday then two derby games against Bury and Oldham after that.

“They are the sort of games you really want to be involved in.”