Richard Cockerill calls on Edinburgh Rugby fans to show support

Richard Cockerill has called on the fans to show their support for Edinburgh as they approach the business end of the season.

Edinburgh head into the final months of the campaign in a strong position, sitting third in their Guinness PRO14 group and set to play Cardiff in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

Cockerill's side boast an early advantage ahead of the run-in, with their four scheduled matches remaining this season all to be played at BT Murrayfield, and the head coach hopes they can make that home advantage count with the improved support of local fans.

The club opted to move to the national stadium from their home of Myreside earlier in the month due to restrictions on capacity inside the ground and Cockerill, who admits the club have over-achieved'' this season, has called for bumper crowds to help push the team over the line.

I hope we get a good support because we're having a good season,'' he told the club's official website.

We've got a team people can relate to, can support and walk away at the end of games and say, 'that's my team and I'm proud of what they're trying to do'. I hope we start to get more people through the gates.

The boys will put everything on the field and I'd love people to feel they can come and support their team. We can then build this club into something it could really be.

There is no reason why we can't get eight, 10 or 12,000 people to come and watch us. Wherever we go next, we should hope to continue doing that.

There is a reason for everything. It is a big city and there are other things to do, and in the past we have over-promised and under-delivered.

I have under-promised and over-achieved.''

Edinburgh go into their clash with Cardiff on the back of five successive wins which have helped boost them up the table and within touching distance of Scarlets in second place, but despite this good form Cockerill is warning against complacency.

They scraped through on Friday night against Connacht, and the former England hooker knows they have to improve.

In the last five games against the supposed bigger sides we were very much on our game. But we mentally switched off against Dragons and Connacht,'' he said.

Cockerill added: They (Cardiff) are a dangerous side who've played very well, and we need to be a very good team to win a European quarter-final. You'd expect to come up against a good side.

There is one thing that Edinburgh can't do and that is take things for granted. We are nowhere near a good enough side to do that, but we are in a good position and have given ourselves a great chance to progress in Europe.

We do just what Edinburgh do. We get on the field, train hard and work out the best way to play against Cardiff and try and win.'