Alex Akrofi has signed a one-year contract extension at Maidstone.

The striker’s 18-month deal was due to expire at the end of the season and Stones have moved early to keep him at the Gallagher.

He’s the first player to be offered a new deal and it’s nice to be wanted.

Akrofi, 20, said: “It’s a massive confidence boost. There’s two sides to every player. There’s a player with confidence and a player without.

“When you’re not playing your confidence can be affected, although I still have belief I can make a difference. When your confidence is high, you believe you can do more.

"I need to keep developing and pushing. I can’t just relax because I’ve got a contract for next year. There are aspects of my game I feel I’ve got better at, like holding up the ball, but there are other things I need to work on.”

There had been talk of a loan move for the former Brentwood man, but he scored in a 2-1 win against Concord last month and started at Dartford a fortnight ago.

Stones boss Jay Saunders said: “He’s gone from playing half a season in Ryman North to starting half a dozen games in National South.

“He’s only 20, he’s got a lot to offer and he’s going to get better and better. His deal was coming up at the end of the season and I wanted to get something sorted."