Happy Hakan Hayrettin is looking forward to doing things his way at Maidstone.

Hayrettin worked as head coach under his great friend and mentor John Still last season but is now the main man at the Gallagher.

He’s made some impressive signings, the likes of Scott Rendell, George Porter, Kreshnic Krasniqi, Joe Ellul and Charlie Seaman, and the Stones host Welling in their National South opener tonight.

Hayrettin said: “There are things I’d have done differently last season but I have the utmost respect for John Still.

“He’s probably the best manager at this level, and above, and above that, and I’ve learnt a lot off him.

"I’ve also been my own man and I decided this year we would try and change the way we play slightly with the players we have at our disposal, so they can express themselves a bit more.

“We did that with John but we’re going to do it even more so this season.

"I’ve been in touch with John all through lockdown, every other day.

"I still keep in touch with him. Me and Terry Harris, my assistant, have worked together very closely with him over the years.”

As well as tweaking his tactics, Hayrettin is personally more relaxed going into the campaign.

After a challenging summer he’s happy with the squad both in terms of personnel and togetherness.

He said: “People used to think, ‘Hak’s angry, Hak’s in your face’, which I may be, but I’ve decided to go for a different approach this year.

“If I need to turn I can do that in a split-second but I think we’re getting rewarded for how I’ve been with the players now.

“I actually think the league is tougher this year, because of the influx of players dropping down, but I also believe if we do things right and are mentally right and professionally right, then we’ll have a go.

“I know what my ambitions are - ask any manager, you want to win the league, of course you do - but we’ll do the best we possibly can.

“It’s been challenging with the pandemic but the owners, Terry Casey and Oliver Ash, have been fantastic in what they’ve done and Bill Williams, the chief exec.

“We’ve cut our cloth accordingly, they told me exactly what the situation was and I’m in close dialogue with them.

“We’ve got a squad of players that will hopefully help us get results but the most important thing is we’ve got a spirit in that group that can help us get results.

“That’s not to say the spirit wasn’t good last season, because it was, but this year is different. I think we’ve got even more togetherness and I can see the fruits already.”

Maidstone start the season behind closed doors in light of Covid-19 regulations and have launched a pay-per-view live streaming service, brought to fans by Stones TV’s John Gooch.

Hayretin is looking forward to the day supporters return.

He said: “It’s been challenging because we’ve had a universal pandemic and football is the last thing on everyone’s minds.

“Your loved ones’ wellbeing is more important.

“I just want our supporters to be happy and healthy and I thank them for all the positive comments I’ve been told about.

“I hope they’re all well and I hope to see them around the ground again very soon.”

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