Gavin Hoyte believes Maidstone’s heavy early-season defeat at Bath could prove a blessing in disguise.

The Stones responded to last weekend’s 3-0 loss by winning 2-1 win at Braintree on Tuesday night.

It sets them up nicely for a big game at fellow relegated club Yeovil on Saturday (3pm).

Maidstone won their opening match of the National League South season 2-1 against Slough but the Bath result and performance served as a reality check.

“We’re not going to win every game,” said skipper Hoyte.

“Not every result is going to go for you and sometimes you will have the odd bad day or the odd bad game.

“What you’ve got to do is limit them as much as possible.

“It’s a funny thing to say but it can be a good thing for the team to lose because it brings you back to reality.

“Sometimes, without meaning to do it, players do get a bit ahead of themselves.

“You think you’re going to win every game and you forget you need to work hard and what it actually takes to win.”

Stones boss George Elokobi and his players had a good chat about the Bath game and put things right with goals from Sam Bone and Sam Corne in a battling victory at Braintree.

“It was a good response,” said Hoyte.

“That’s what you always want after a defeat, a good, hard-fought win.

“It was another away game and Braintree’s not the easiest of places to go, is it?

“We all just spoke about how we felt about Bath, what went wrong, and what we needed to do.

“If you keep winning it can paper over the cracks, so it’s good to get out what we needed to say and how we can do better as a team. Everyone responded well.

“We changed a few players and everyone who came in was excellent, as were the subs.

“It’s a team game. You might play one week and not the next but you need to be ready.”

The Yeovil game, switched to Huish Park due to building works at the Gallagher, sees two of the division’s big-hitters meet in the opening month of the season.

Like Maidstone, the Glovers have won two and lost one of their opening three games following relegation.

“It’ll be a good test,” said Hoyte.

“They’ve come down, like us, and they’ve got to adapt to the league. I don’t know if they’ve been at this level before.

“I’m not sure how many players they’ve kept from last season but they will be a strong side and they always have been.

“You do look out for these games a little bit but you put it to the back of your mind because it’s just another game.

“Playing early in the season, there’s perhaps not the same pressure as there might be later on, depending on where we are in the table.

“It could ease the pressure playing at this stage but that goes for both teams.

“Everyone will still be looking at this game, where we’ve both come down, and saying, ‘Wow, Maidstone are doing well’ or ‘Yeovil are looking strong’.”

Hoyte, 33, is feeling as fit as ever after missing the second half of last season with a dislocated shoulder.

He retained the captaincy and has been operating on the right of a back three in the opening weeks.

“Being back playing, you realise exactly how much you miss it,” said the defender.

“The fitness programme George has given me, and the training we’ve been doing, it’s helped me massively.

“I can feel the difference in myself - I feel a lot stronger.

“I’m 33 now but I feel fit, I’m lasting games, I don’t get cramp.

“I do get the odd pain here and there after games but that’s to be expected.”