Tom Mills joked about retiring after a torrid time at Rochdale – but intends to learn from the experience.

Full-back Joe Rafferty and winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing kept Mills busy as Maidstone struggled to stay in Tuesday night’s FA Cup replay.

Left-back Mills, 24, said: “I think they’re trying to make me retire! When you’ve got full-backs bombing on and wingers like that – Mendez-Laing was the sharpest I’ve played against in a while – you just do your best to stick with them but they were different class, both of them, and the same on the other flank.

“You look at their players and their movement and their sharpness and how quick they were – we can learn from that.”

Mills fancied Maidstone’s chances having had the best of the first meeting but Rochdale turned the tables at Spotland.

He said: “I thought they were completely different from when we played at our ground.

“I don’t know if they were having an off-day or it was them playing on 3G or whatever it was but tonight you could see they had a bit of class going forward.

“The pitch is wider and it definitely helps them. Seth (Twumasi) did well on the other side but I thought they isolated us and got at us. They did it with pace and sharpness and I don’t think we could handle it.

“We were optimistic after the first game. I thought we were brilliant that day but coming here, Rochdale thought ‘let’s turn them over’.

“You’ve just got to accept the fact that you play in the Conference and they’re in League 1.”