Hakan Hayrettin felt Maidstone produced their best performance of the season in defeat.

The Stones lost 2-1 at home to National League leaders Chesterfield yesterday, with Darren Oldaker scoring a 94th-minute winner for the unbeaten visitors.

You don’t always get what you deserve in football and this was one of those occasions, with Maidstone unlucky to wind up empty-handed.

They were more than a match for Paul Cook’s side in an entertaining game at the Gallagher that saw the Spireites take an 82nd-minute lead through substitute Kabongo Tshimanga.

Maidstone were seconds away from collecting a point after James Alabi’s 88th-minute equaliser but Oldaker, the former Gillingham midfielder, had the final say.

Stones boss Hayrettin felt both goals were avoidable but was delighted with the overall performance which was in stark contrast to last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Bromley.

“I don’t think we’ve played better than that this season,” said Hayrettin. “It’s a technical issue we’ve lost, with the goals we conceded, not because of our ability.

“We did well, we didn’t deserve to lose, it’s a massive step forward in what we’re trying to achieve.

“We’re bitterly disappointed. There’s going to be highs and lows, this is the National League, you’ve just got to get used to it.

"I’m gutted for the boys because they’ve given us what they had, we gave a good account of ourselves and we tried to do everything the right way.

• Report: Maidstone 1-2 Chesterfield

“For periods of the game we were the better team but unfortunately that’s football.

“When you come up against a good team like that they’ll keep working for 90 minutes, and fair play to Cookie, he’s got a good team there, he’s got them well-drilled and they’ll keep working.

“I’d rather have the points in the bag but I can’t take anything away from the performance today.”

Hayrettin said his team didn’t like hearing the truth after their display at Bromley.

He got a response, and then some, against Chesterfield, despite a third defeat in four games dropping them a place to 16th.

“I just explained what’s required, what’s needed, we cannot have people taking their foot off the pedal,” said Hayrettin.

“We put on a performance today what was worthy of winning any game at this level but if you make mistakes, and it is mistakes, you get punished.

“We’ve got to be marking goalside for the first one - if we are, their player doesn’t get a free run in the box - and the second one we should be stopping them getting the ball into that area.

"The players are disappointed but I’m proud of them today.”