Fans of Take That's Mark Owen have launched an unofficial campaign to get his solo track into the top 40.

Take That may be ruling the airwaves with smash hits 'Rule the World,' 'Patience,' and 'Shine,' which Mark wrote and sings lead vocals on.

Fans of the baby-faced singer however want 'Hail Mary' which was originally released just after Take That reformed in early 2006, to "receive the recognition it deserves" by making it a Top 40 hit this week.

Using social network sites and UK and European fan forums to spread the word, the campaign managers estimate that nearly 500 copies of the single were sold in the first 24 hours.

As of yesterday, 'Hail Mary' was ranked number 23 in the HMV download store, and CD stocks at HMV and Townsend were severely depleted by fans snapping up the song.

I-Tunes has reported that 'Hail Mary' is now the second most downloaded Mark Owen product - before the campaign, it was positioned at number 17.

With Mark turning 36 this Sunday fans feel a hit record would be the perfect birthday present and are urging fans of Mark Owen and Take That to join in with downloading a copy.