Maidstone loan signing Paul Appiah already knows what it’s like to face the best non-league football has to offer - step forward Jamie Vardy.

The Leicester City youngster has trained with Vardy, the striker who went from Conference football at Fleetwood to a Premier League champion with the Foxes in just four years.

It was quite an eye-opener for the centre-back when he joined in first-team training following his move from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022.

As well as being a great test, former England international Vardy proved a big support for a young defender making his way in the under-21s.

“Vardy’s a handful,” said Appiah, who made his Maidstone debut as a second-half substitute at St Albans in National League South on Saturday.

“You’ve got to check your shoulders with him - you can’t miss him.

“If you take your eye off him for a second he’ll catch you in behind but training with him is good.

“Vardy’s one of those players in the first team where he puts his arm around the young players, he helps them, he gets them through a session.

“He wants us to show our personality.

“I remember one of my first sessions with him.

“He said I shouldn’t be afraid to put a challenge on him, so he wants the young ones to do well.

“That’s just how it is with the players - they know what it’s like coming up through the ranks, so they’re supportive.”

A player no longer with Leicester also made an impression on Appiah after joining the 2016 Premier League champions.

He teamed up with Wesley Fofana in training, the Frenchman who went on to join Chelsea for a reported £70 million fee.

“When I first joined last season, Wes Fofana was like an older brother to me,” said Appiah.

“He was just about to leave but during pre-season I spent a lot of time with the first team and he helped me a lot.

“He got me through it, he was being positive with me, he helped me a lot with one v one defending, giving me tips and a lot of the time in training me and him were a partnership at the back.

“It was good to train and work alongside a player like him.”

Appiah has learned plenty both on the training ground and through playing under-21s football for Leicester.

Experience of men’s football was the next step in his education - and that’s where Maidstone come in.

He’s at the Gallagher until the end of December, during which time he hopes to stake a claim for regular football.

Stones boss George Elokobi was impressed with the Dutchman’s contribution after playing the final 30 minutes of Maidstone’s 3-2 defeat at St Albans.

It wasn’t the result Appiah wanted but he acquitted himself well.

“It was quick, fast-paced, aggressive,” he said.

“There were a lot of long balls I had to deal with, different to a normal 21s game but I was ready and I tried my best.

“There’s a big difference - a lot more aggression, a lot more communication, the points mean everything.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get any today but each game I’ll be learning and today was a good experience.

“As a defender that’s one of the most important things, getting stuck in, winning tackles, getting second balls, winning your headers, winning individual battles, so I can’t complain.

“I just take everything I’ve learnt at Leicester and, coming here, I’m learning a different side of my game where I have to communicate more and it’s very important to have each other’s back and leave with the points.

“Coming out on loan my coach was saying to me that 21s football is what I’m used to and I need to come out of my comfort zone and see what it’s like to play against men.

“I need to see what it’s like being out on loan so it was definitely good for me to get out here and have a different experience of what it’s like to play.”

Appiah was well aware of Maidstone before he joined, having been monitoring non-league for potential moves.

And if a loan at the Gallagher proves the first rung on the ladder to first-team football at Leicester, the Stones will be etched in his memory for years.

“Leicester’s a top club - at all times you’ve got to be on your game,” said Appiah.

“It’s never going to be easy to get in the first team - it’s a cat-one club.

“You have to always make sure you’re doing the right things and if you put in the hard work they will see it, so it’s all down to you really.”