Former Maidstone United defender Alex Finney reveals what happened when he left the Gallagher Stadium

By: Craig Tucker ctucker@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 00:00, 25 April 2019

Alex Finney has spoken of the cut-throat environment under Harry Wheeler that led to his Maidstone exit.

Finney joined Aldershot on a free transfer just before Christmas but is back at the Gallagher on Saturday for the final game of the season.

With both clubs already relegated from the National League, the Shots have asked Maidstone to relax a clause preventing the centre-half from playing.

Former Maidstone defender Alex Finney Picture: Andy Jones

Last season’s double player-of-the-year will be at the stadium either way, four months after the departure that bemused Maidstone fans, particularly when Wheeler tipped him for the Football League days later.

Finney said: “Harry basically put it to me that he’d lost trust in me, which I could understand because he was fighting for his job.

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“He told me my game time would be limited and he was trying to push me to sign for Billericay.

“They wanted to do a deal for me and Jamar Loza to go there in return for Jake Robinson and someone else.

“He pushed me in that direction but I had to tell him, ‘wait a minute, I don’t want to be dropping down a league.’

“Bill (Williams, chief executive) said they were backing the manager on this one, which was fine, but I didn’t want to drop down a level.

“Dover were sniffing about but they wouldn’t let me go to a local rival and Jay Saunders was at Bromley but Aldershot came up and they were happy to let me go there.

“It wasn’t the best ending if I’m honest.

Harry Wheeler told Alex Finney his game time would be limited Picture: Sean Aidan

“I’m not knocking Harry as a coach, he just wasn’t the best for me.

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“He was funny because he’s a good football coach but he’s not the best manager, whereas Jay was a good manager who knew how to get the best out of players and I felt I thrived under him.

“With Harry it was a cut-throat environment where no one was sure where they stood because he would just bring in another player.

“It created an environment that felt a bit toxic in the sense that people were always looking over their shoulder.

“I say that with all due respect because he did teach me some stuff as well.

“It was hard for him at the end. When the changing room turns it’s hard to get it back.”

Finney is sorry to see Maidstone go down, with the Stones suffering the same fate as his new club.

He’s contracted at the Rec next season but doesn’t know what the future holds.

Alex Finney thrived under Jay Saunders Picture: Andy Payton

The former QPR man said: “It’s sad to see Maidstone go down because it’s a big club and it’s a shame to see it going backwards instead of forwards.

“Aldershot’s a strange one because we’ve got a lot of good footballers but something hasn’t clicked this season.

“They lost a couple of key players from last season’s play-off team and because the budget isn’t as good as some of the other teams at the top, they struggled to keep the successful players.

“It meant a brand new squad and it hasn’t clicked in time but it’s crazy how it’s gone because we’ve dominated certain games and lost and we just haven’t been able to grind out enough wins.

“I’ve got another year but I don’t know what the club’s plans are because when you go down a league you tend to go part-time because you can attract the better players who still have jobs.

“I’ve been with two relegated clubs this season. If I have a good year like my first season at Maidstone then I feel like I can push back on.

“I’ve 100% learned from this season. I take a lot from negative situations I’ve been in, so it doesn’t happen again.”