By Andrew Gidley

Manager Peter Nott is calling on his Maidstone players to show more hunger about winning a shirt for the opening Ryman League Premier Division game at Harrow on August 21.

Nott (pictured) admitted the players felt his wrath in the dressing room after the 1-0 defeat at Thamesmead on Saturday.

He said: "At this stage I should have eight or nine names pencilled in with two or three places to fill, but it’s the other way round, with places up for grabs.

"There seems to be a lack of hunger to get a shirt, and I did rant and rave at the boys, because there have been too many poor performances."

While the display in the goalless draw at Romford on Tuesday was much improved, the lack of goals is a major worry.

Nott said: "We changed the formation and played with three centre-halves, and two wing-backs. It suited us very well, but we can’t buy a goal at the moment."