Maidstone's home match against Billericay was never about Harry Wheeler as far as John Still is concerned.

It was one of the first games fans looked out for when the National League South fixtures were released.

But the edge has gone out of it since Wheeler, the former Stones boss, was sacked by Billericay last month.

Still succeeded Wheeler at the Gallagher Stadium in January but couldn't save Maidstone from relegation.

And while he's aware how supporters feel about their old manager, he was always going to concentrate on the football this Saturday.

Still said: "Because of Harry, people were talking about the game.

"Football's like that when someone leaves a club and people either think they shouldn't have left or they should have left earlier.

"As managers and coaches you have to take those feelings - for or against - out of the game.

"It's not about an individual, it's about trying to win a game."

Wheeler worked under Still as a youth-team coach at Dagenham several years ago.

He liked him but feels he needs to find his niche in management after being sacked by Billericay for the second time.

Still said: "I didn't know him great but I knew him at Dagenham because he worked there.

"I liked him. I found him hardworking and conscientious but I couldn't give an opinion on how I felt he'd do as a manager at that time because I'd never given it any thought.

"I felt the squad we inherited here was imbalanced but that was just me looking at it.

"We didn't have balance in the team at all and I felt everything was a touch off-the-cuff.

• Wheeler sacked by Ricay
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"There's nothing wrong with that if you're winning every game but I couldn't see any cohesion and that's why we felt most people had to go so we could start again.

"I know managers who say, 'go and express yourselves, go and play all over the pitch' and not worry about the organisation.

"If you have players that are much better than the other team, you can give them lots of freedom to play.

"I don't know but maybe Harry felt that was something he could do and, if he did, good luck to him.

"We all suffer the consequences of our ideas not working in football.

"I think Harry, through whatever he wants to do, needs to find his niche in management.

"You get some managers who are managers and coaches, some are solely managers who don't want to get involved in coaching and you get coaches who don't want to manage."

Maidstone go into the match on a run of just two defeats in 14 league and cup games.

They're 10th in the table, a point and a place behind a Billericay side who could include Stones old boys Jack Paxman and Jake Robinson.

Still said: "We feel we are able to score goals, particularly at home.

"We're hard to beat and sometimes hard to play against.

"We're not as expressive as I think we can be but if we make sure we're always competitive and organised, we feel we have enough about us to keep improving."

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