Adam Lakeland has urged King’s Lynn Town fans to turn up the volume as they return to The Walks this weekend.

With 17 games to go, the business end of the National League North table is a congested place, with 10 points covering the coveted top seven places.

Top two Chester and Scunthorpe are in danger of breaking away, but then just one point covers the next four places, with Chorley, in seventh, a place and four points behind the Linnets.

Lynn have played more games than some of their closest rivals and bid to keep up with the major players when Radcliffe head to The Walks on Saturday – and Lakeland has a message for fans.

“Come in your numbers,” he said. “Make some noise. The team needs you behind them.

“This time last year we were fighting relegation, so I can understand the town not maybe coming, but I can't understand it now.

“We've given them a team that's having a good season so far - obviously a long way to go, but we're in the mix for the top seven and we want to stay there.

“And if the town and the supporters want to get behind the players in the team, then they should be out there on  Saturday making as much noise as they can and giving them as much backing as possible.”

Radcliffe sit in 21st place in the table, but Lynn have sometimes had their difficulties against perceived league strugglers this season. On Boxing Day they were held at home by Needham Market (currently bottom), last week they surrendered away to local rivals Peterborough Sports and then followed up with a goalless draw at third-bottom Rushall Olympic.

The nature of National League North football is most definitely ‘anyone can beat anyone on their day’, but Lakeland will want to see his players assert their authority.

“We'll do our prep Thursday, Friday and be ready for another difficult game,” Lakeland told the club’s official channels. “Every game is hard, home or away, regardless of which team in the division you play.

“They’ve had a couple of better results of late, which doesn't surprise me either because they have got some good players. We know it's going to be another difficult game, but we're obviously getting to the end of January, start of February and every team's trying to win as many games as they possibly can, and we're no different to that. We'll be giving everything we can at the weekend to try and get three points, but we know it’s going to be a difficult game.”

Lynn are expected to be without striker Gold Omotayo and defenders Freddie Sass and Kyle McFadden, although leading scorer Jonny Margetts returned to action with a late cameo in midweek.