By Alex Hoad

Jay Saunders admits Maidstone’s five-match losing streak is "driving him mad" but he hopes to break the cycle with back-to-back festive home wins.

Stones have lost their last five Ryman League, Division 1 South games to fall 12 points behind the leaders and out of the play-off places in a division they topped in late November.

Saturday’s 5-1 loss at Worthing meant they have scored four goals and conceded 13 in those five defeats.

Maidstone boss Saunders (pictured) said: "We need to break the run and to do that we need a bit of luck from somewhere. We just need three points.

"If we’d managed to see out the last minute at Folkestone in the previous game then we’d have drawn and that might have done it, given us a bit more confidence.

"It’s important that we stick together. It’s never a good time to lose five games in a row and it’s driving me mad but it’s happened, we have to get on with it.

"We had a meeting at training on Tuesday, not a crisis meeting, just a talk with the players, and I’m expecting a reaction. I’m sure the players want to put in a performance."

Saunders hopes that will come against Corinthian-Casuals at Bourne Park on Boxing Day, with the prospect of the visit of Whitstable five days later.

Shaun Welford will miss the Casuals game through suspension, while Alex Flisher will sit out the Whitstable game with a ban.

Gavin Greenfield’s knee scan showed heavy bruising meaning he could return in January, while keeper Charlie Mitten could be back from his hip injury against landlords Sittingbourne on January 2.