RAMSBOTTOM United manager Mike Kelly reckons his side are on a mission: to win the league for Ken Bridge.

The Rams have won seven out of nine games since the shock death of respected boss Bridge, who suffered a suspected heart attack just minutes after the side's defeat to Cheadle Town in February.

Kelly, who was Bridge's assistant, agreed to take the reins until the end of the season along with coach Mike Feeney, but Kelly insists the pair are just 'holding the fort'.

"This is not my team, it is Ken's team," said the 38-year-old former Radcliffe goalkeeper, who has been at Ramsbottom for six years.

"He built the squad that is there. He put together a squad who wanted to play for him, even though he had a limited budget he had a knack of persuading people to come and play for him for the money he was offering.

"Ken was a massive figure in and out of the changing room and he is someone who will never be replaced because of what he did for the club in such a short space of time, and his commitment to the place.

"Nothing would give me more pleasure than to win the league for him."

Bridge spent six years at Ramsbottom and took the club into the North West Counties League, where they won the Second Division Championship in their first season.

He was respected not just at the Riverside but throughout non-League football.

"We thought if we could get half the respect from the players that Ken had we would be okay," said Kelly. "And the players reacted positively to me and Mike Feeney taking over.

"That was one of the biggest hurdles we had to overcome but the players didn't need any motivating from us."

Somewhat suprisingly, Kelly claims he never wanted to be a manager, he didn't even want to be an assistant!

"I finished playing after doing my ligaments in my knee," he said. "Ken asked me if I fancied management and I said no. It wasn't anything I had ever thought of but I said yes and I was his assistant for 18 months.

"But it is a lot different being a manager. The manager does everything. It is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week job which I am now finding out -- and so is my wife.

"I will do the job until the end of the season then I don't know what is going to happen.

I was happy working under Ken because you got to find out what was involved in running a football club. You have to watch games and be in contact with other managers and so on constantly.

I couldn't dedicate myself to it with a young family.

But I am doing this for Ken ad it was other people wishes as well that I carried on, they've said to me 'go on and win the league for him' buit it is only the players who can do that.