Maidstone midfielder Harry Phipps made age irrelevant with his performance at Forest Green.

Phipps, 18, scored on his first Stones start in the 2-2 draw and showed no signs of nerves against one of the best sides in the National League.

He said: "For a debut, I’ll definitely take that.

"The first 15 minutes, if I’m honest, I was maybe finding my feet but once I got into the flow of it, I started feeling comfortable, playing the ball about and it really showed.

"The gaffer said before this is potentially the best team in the league.

"All that did was drive me on so taking that into consideration, I’m very happy with my performance.

"You have to be confident, especially in men’s football being an 18-year-old.

"You have to be like a man and act like a man and play like a man.

"The goal’s great but the fact we ended up drawing 2-2 is even better."

Stones boss Jay Saunders told Phipps on Friday he was in line to play and the ex-Margate man took his chance.

He'd made just a few brief substitute appearances since joining after Christmas but was ready for the National League.

He said: "The gaffer told me on Friday. He said to keep it calm and prepare yourself right because you’re probably starting tomorrow.

"From then I was able to get my mindset ready and it showed.

"It’s definitely the next step, playing in the Conference.

"It’s a lot quicker, you get a lot less time on the ball but you just have to adjust and get on with it if you want to reach an even higher level in the future.

"My team-mates are very supportive too. If I'm out of position they’ll tell me so it’s a good team to be in."

Phipps is under contract for next season, so fans will get to see plenty more of him.

For now, he's hoping to feature in the final two games of this campaign, at home to Lincoln tomorrow and Tranmere on Saturday.

He said: "I hope the next two games I’m involved heavily but that’s up to the gaffer.

"He’s given me the chance, I’ve taken it and I look forward to making many more good appearances for the club."