Jack Paxman is excited by the prospect of facing Stuart Lewis when Maidstone go to Dover on Boxing Day.

Paxman will be surrounded by friends with Stones old boys Lewis, Jai Reason, Bobby-Joe Taylor and Kevin Lokko set to be in the Whites starting XI.

It will be a strange experience for the Maidstone midfielder but one he's looking forward to.

He said: "The Stu-Lew one really excites me.

"I went away with Stu and his family in the summer and he had me running up and down a beach in Spain and running up ridiculous hills.

"The guy can still run because I was eating his dust a few times.

"He’s a great friend, someone I’ve looked up to.

"I’d love to have the career he’s had.

"I think he’s had a great career and he’s played loads of league games, he’s been captain at most clubs he’s played at, he’s a great box-to-box midfielder and he’s taught me a lot when he was here.

"Jai Reason as well, he's another great player.

"I didn’t spend as much time with him but someone like him has been at this level and he’s done well for a reason.

"They’re two battles I look forward to testing myself against."

Lewis and Reason were a big help to Paxman when his Maidstone future was in doubt last season.

They've stayed in touch and, inevitably, football's never far away from the conversation.

Paxman said: "I talk to those two away from the pitch quite regularly.

"I still see them regularly as well and they’re good mates of mine and vastly experienced at this level and above.

"They’re good guys and they like to pass their knowledge down to the younger players.

"They helped me when things weren’t going so well. They got me through some tough times.

"Football comes up when we see each other.

"It’s the game we all play so conversations do occur about football and how things are going.

"We speak about Dover and how things are changing down there and what’s going on here but it’s also good to talk about different things."

Paxman wishes his old team-mates were still at the Gallagher but knows football changes.

He said: "Things change in football quite quickly and that’s the way it goes.

"If they were here, great, unfortunately they’re not.

"As I say, I still talk to them off the pitch so it doesn’t make a difference in terms of our relationship but it would always be great to have good people like that around."

Manager Harry Wheeler says the derby is Maidstone's biggest game of the season and Paxman agrees as they fight to climb out of the National League relegation zone.

He said: "Every game now is undeniably massive. We just have to pick up as many points as possible now, starting with Dover.

"The squad’s so strong and I don’t want to say it but it’s never been a squad that should be in the position it is, but the league doesn’t lie.

"Things aren’t going our way at the moment and something needs to change.

"It’s been really tough but we’re all working hard, we’re all in it together, we all get on really well and everyone’s fighting for the cause."