PHIL Parkinson has urged Wanderers fans to “stick together” as his side look to kick-start their Championship campaign against Brentford.

Searching for a first win and determined not to go a club-record sixth game without a goal, the Whites will bring Sammy Ameobi back into the squad for the first time since his summer move from Newcastle United.

Parkinson says he will pick his “freshest available” line-up and has called on supporters to rally round in what has been the toughest spell of his 15 months at the Macron Stadium.

“I’m the one who needs to find the solution but we need everyone backing each other,” he said. “We stood as a group and celebrated promotion last season but now things are tough, there’s no getting around it. We need them to dig deep and find that little bit of extra this afternoon to help their club.”

Ken Anderson added his support in a message posted on the club’s website yesterday and Parkinson admits he has been encouraged by the personal backing given by his chairman during the last few months.

“I can’t fault anyone through this,” he told The Bolton News. “Ken has been supportive through the whole process, the players have been good and the staff do everything. I don’t go home and say ‘blimey, I wish I had more help.’

“The supporters have been good to me, so I can’t complain. We all enjoyed the promotion last year and we knew it was going to be tough.

“When I first came in Ken said ‘Phil, you do realise if you sign here this is a job where you’ll have to get your hands dirty.’ And it has been one hell of a job.

“It was the same over the summer, he said until the situation has been resolved it will be really, really tough.

“We knew what we were going into. The Football League have made it difficult but Ken and Paul (Aldridge) have kept me informed behind the scenes on what they are doing to sort things out. Short-term we need a result, don’t we? I am sure that one we get it, we’ll push on.”