Steve McKimm has said it’s his job to give the players the belief they can get themselves out of trouble this season after taking on the reins as Slough Town boss this week.

Having watched the side’s past couple of matches, McKimm firmly believes this squad has the quality and character needed to avoid relegation; however, he admits he’s never been in this exact situation before.

Having successfully Tonbridge Angels into the National League South there were some seasons when they flirted with the drop back down to step 3 but this is the first time he’s taken on a club sitting bottom of the league table and six points from safety.

He is though relishing the challenge of turning Slough’s season around and believes this is possible provided he gets ‘buy in’ from the players. That, he says, will be half the battle, and then it will be about giving every player things they can implement on the pitch in the coming weeks and months to improve performances and results.

“I was asked to come in and take the reins,” he said. “I’m always up for a challenge and always have been. I work incredibly hard at whatever I do.

“There’s no better place to come and try and get Slough out of the situation they’re in.

“That will only come from everyone pulling together and hard work.

“There’s no getting away from the fact we’re in a precarious situation. It’s going to be difficult, because the league is extremely tough.

“But we’re all up for the challenge and the main aim is to get points on the board and climb out of the situation we’re in.

“This will be my first time in this exact situation. I’ve been at Tonbridge where in the National South we didn’t have masses of money and we were always flirting with the situation down around the bottom areas. But yeah, it’s an exciting challenge.

“You’ve got to go in with your eyes wide open. It’s not going to be an instant thing where we’re going to win 10/15/20 games on the spin. It’s going to be a slog. There will be ups and downs and we’ve got to ride the wave when we can and enjoy it when we do finally turn things around.”

With the side set to play three of the league’s promotion challengers - Dorking Wanderers, Truro City and Maidstone United - in the coming weeks, there may not be an immediate lift, but if the Rebels work hard and pull for each other, McKimm believes the players and supporters will see results improve ‘sooner rather than later’.

McKimm met the players for the first time on Tuesday and was set to take them for training last night ahead of Saturday’s home game with Dorking Wanderers.

“First and foremost, we have to get the belief that we can win games of football,” said McKimm.

“Looking back on Saturday (2-1 home defeat to Horsham), the boys put in a shift. The supporters want a team that will give everything they can and run through brick walls. That’s a given in football.

“That should happen automatically. What we then need to do is bring certain bits of quality and give the players certain things that they can implement on the pitch. If everyone buys into what we’re trying to do, that’s half the battle and the results will turn off the back of that.

“The main thing is the belief. And I’ve seen it over the last couple of games I’ve watched.

“I met the players for the first time on Tuesday night and they’re together. There’s no divide and that helps massively.

“They seem a good bunch and look to be working for each other. They’re just not getting the rub of the green.”

The club are also putting on a special offering to mark this new chapter, by offering fans up to four free tickets for the game against Marc White’s Dorking. They hope to pack out Arbour Park and given McKimm and his team the best possible chance of getting off to a positive start.

Having spoken with the interim management team, Henry Ochieng, Ryan Case and Johnny Goddard, he’s confident they’ve got a good group of players capable of turning this season around.

He added: “I spoke to Ryan, Johnny and Henry who have taken charge of it and have done extremely well given the circumstances. They believe there’s a good bunch in there and it’s down to us to tweak a few things for the better if we can.

“Once the players are on the same page, I’m sure results will turn sooner rather than later.

“They were in control of the game for the first part of it. They scored a very good goal and could have scored another after that. But then situations happen and the referee has made a decision.

“It’s then difficult with one less player. But they never gave up the ghost, and I’ve managed and played in many teams where the 10 men have come out on the winning side, but unfortunately this time it didn’t quite happen. We have a positive outlook from what I’ve seen so far.

“The boys seem a very good bunch and I’m looking forward to working with them.”

With more than two thirds of the season still to be played, McKimm knows he and the players have time on their side. However, results will need to come sooner rather than later to avoid being cut adrift in the relegation places.

He said: “There’s a long time left, but we have one of the toughest starts you can imagine with Dorking at home on Saturday. They’re a fantastic side and I know Marc White very well. They’re always going to be there or there abouts and challenging.

“And then we have a long trip to Truro on a Tuesday. A Tuesday night journey, that sort of distance, when you’re a part-time club, is ridiculous.

“We must go with it, but the lads end up having to take two days off work. I know it’s football. I understand it and full-time sides can afford to do that, but it’s difficult when you’re a part-time club and players are working.

“It’s a baptism of fire, but we must get on with it. We’ll take each game as it comes and hit them head on.

On Saturday’s free ticket offer, McKimm added: “It’s great. The more fans in there the better. The fans that go on a regular basis always get behind their team; they don’t turn against their own team. But the more they can get in, the more support there will be for the players on the pitch. Hopefully they can suck the ball into the net and give us that victory.”