Maidstone have conceded defeat in attempts to sign former Gillingham and Dover midfielder Alan Pouton.

The 32-year-old now looks certain to sign for Kent rivals Margate after rejecting Stones’ pay-as-you-play offer.

Pouton (pictured) has been been troubled by a long-term knee injury which restricted his appearances at Gillingham and Dover. At one stage he retired from the game, only to make a comeback when he joined Dover in June, 2007.

He had been unattached since rejecting Dover’s offer of a new contract last month.

Maidstone joint-manager Lloyd Hume said: "Because of Alan’s injury problems, we had no alternative but to offer him a pay-as-you-play contract because we could not afford to offer him anything else owing to his history of injuries.

"He went away to think about it but clubs came in with full contract offers and I believe Margate was one of those.

"In the meantime, we’ll continue the search for players capable of strengthening our squad."

Hume also warned that semi-professional football faces its biggest financial squeeze as clubs desperately trim wages and the size of their squads.