Alex Flisher has lost weight and is working hard to regain his place in Maidstone’s starting XI.

Flisher has been hitting the gym to regain fitness and it showed in his performance at York last Saturday.

The forward laughed off comments over his fitness earlier in the season, his response that he was simply wearing a tighter shirt being turned into a song on the Gallagher terraces.

Flisher is determined to get his place back, be it up front or on the wing.

He said: “I wouldn’t say I’m the fittest yet but I’ve been working hard over the past few weeks.

“I’ve lost half a stone since Christmas, so I’m getting there.

“I’ve been going to the gym and doing a lot of core work to lose it.

“I was talking to Boothy (fitness coach Paul Booth) the other day and he was saying I’m looking a lot sharper in training and stuff like that.

“It’s finally paying off and hopefully I can work my way back into the team and go from there.”

Flisher questioned the standard of National League refereeing after he was denied a late penalty at York.

He was brought down by City keeper Kyle Letheren, only to be booked for diving by Peter Wright.

Flisher said: “Apparently I dived. Even after the game the keeper’s said ‘how’s that not a pen?’ and their manager said it’s a pen.

“I’m not the sort of player to dive. It takes a lot for me to go down.

“Maybe I made a meal of it - I don’t know - but he’s clipped me and I’ve gone down.

“The quality of the refereeing this year, I don’t think it’s been better than it was say three years ago in the Ryman Prem.

“But they do their job, no one else does it, so you’ve got to give them some respect.”