Manager Hakan Hayrettin wants to see what Maidstone are made of at National League leaders Notts County.

United visit Meadow Lane tomorrow night (7.45pm) looking to get last weekend’s FA Cup exit at Southern League Needham Market out of their system.

The game has been brought forward a day on police advice to avoid clashing with Nottingham Forest’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool.

Maidstone have gone seven matches without a win in the league but their season hit a low point with a dreadful performance at Needham Market.

Notts County also suffered a shock FA Cup exit against lower-league Coalville, albeit with a much-changed side.

But there’s no faulting their league form, winning eight of their past nine games to sit a point clear of Wrexham.

Few people expect Maidstone, who are in the bottom four on goal difference, to get anything.

But they will be fired up to prove a point after a difficult week and boss Hayrettin wants a reaction.

“If I were a player I’d want to come in and rectify things as quickly as possible and show the supporters what I’m made of,” said Hayrettin. “I’d be thinking to myself, ‘I need to put this right.’

"We can’t put in performances like we did at Needham Market and not be accountable.

“We were an absolute embarrassment, that’s my opinion, and I’m not going to change it.

“We certainly can’t play any worse than we did on Saturday. You can’t put your finger on it, can you? It has to be a mentality thing.

"We’ve got to be focused on the job and the players have got to be thinking, ‘What am I good at? What can I do for my team?’ and go out there and do it.

"They’ve got to look at themselves and question themselves and each other: ‘What is going on? Are we doing enough? Why are we not doing this?'"

Maidstone can’t compete with Notts County, one of many big ex-Football League clubs fighting to get out of the division, in terms of resources.

But that shouldn’t stop them giving absolutely everything at Meadow Lane and, if they do that, anything’s possible.

They’ve shown they can give the big boys a game, outplaying then-leaders Chesterfield last month, only to lose 2-1 in added time.

Hayrettin said: “This league is two leagues - the top half and the bottom half.

“We’ve just got to worry about staying up and I still think we’ll be all right.

“You wouldn’t expect Notts County to be in the National League but they are, and they’re spending big, like many teams, because they want to get up.

“This is an extension of the Football League with some of the teams in there, that’s a fact.

“We’ve come up this season and I didn’t want to break up the squad that won National South.

“They 100% deserved a chance but the proof is in the pudding and every game is tough.

“Maybe the ones I’ve brought in haven’t stepped up to the mark, and we’ve got to move some on, but that doesn’t mean the season’s over.”