Terry Harris has warned it might not be pretty as Maidstone set about digging themselves out of a hole.

The Stones host fellow strugglers Yeovil in a bottom-four scrap at the Gallagher this Saturday (3pm), with both sides desperate for the points.

United’s need is arguably greater, having gone nine games and two months without a National League win.

They’re still only two points from safety but confidence is a major issue and victory would give everyone a lift.

That’s followed by a rearranged home game against big-spending Solihull Moors on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Assistant boss Harris believes it’s a case of grinding out a result as soon as possible to get themselves going.

“We need to get a result, even if it’s a scrappy 1-0 or something,” said Harris, speaking after the 3-0 midweek home defeat by Southend.

“When you’re having a bad run like this, you need to have a bridge to build on, you need to have a base. You can’t just go on a great run of six games, you hope to but you can’t.

“So you need to go back to work, work hard, keep instilling what you believe in and hopefully things will change.”

Maidstone are second-bottom, a point and two places behind Yeovil.

Their difficulties back in the National League are in stark contrast to the form that propelled them to National South glory last season.

That in itself poses challenges, as Maidstone learn to deal with setbacks.

“You can’t turn confidence on and off,” said Harris.

“I’ve been through this before when I got promoted from League 2 into League 1 with Dagenham.

“We beat Rotherham at Wembley in the play-off final and we were used to winning, and then what happens is, when you start getting beat, it’s hard to take.

“People are like, ‘I don’t know how to get over this, I don’t understand it’.

“Last year we were winning and this year we’re not having a particularly good time.

“The only way back is working hard, coming back on Thursday on the training ground and making sure that everybody’s focused for Saturday against Yeovil.

“We have the players, we train them, we try to be as organised as possible.

“We were organised last year and we got some good results off the back of it.

• We don't feel under pressure

“We’re obviously playing against players who are better, and whereby last year we got away with mistakes, this year we’re making mistakes and getting punished for it.”

Jerome Binnom-Williams is closing in on a return, according to Harris, but Sol Wanjau-Smith and Hady Ghandour, two players Maidstone had high hopes for, remain sidelined.

“We knew we were signing a good player in Sol but he hasn’t kicked a ball in anger,” said Harris.

“Again, we knew what we had with Hady but he’s barely kicked a ball.

“These aren’t excuses, by the way, but we think we may have been better had those players been available.

“But they’re not and we have to go with what we’ve got.”