Maidstone may be after experienced players but in Harry Phipps they’ve found a youngster who's too good to ignore.

Midfielder Phipps, 18, has joined United from National South Margate, where he had become a regular in recent weeks.

He came to Maidstone’s attention playing for Gate in a Kent Senior Cup tie against Charlton.

Boss Jay Saunders said: “I went down to watch Margate against Charlton a month or so ago, to look at a couple of Charlton lads that I’d been offered, and straight away Harry was someone who caught my eye.

“He’s a good size, very good in the air and in the tackle and kind of an old-fashioned midfielder but with a little bit more ability, and I was quite surprised that he was only a young lad.

“He’s just someone we carried on monitoring since then.

“We’ve had him watched each week and everything was coming back positive and myself and Nicky Southall (assistant manager) had seen him and it’s one of them where we put a seven-dayer in and it’s moved quite quickly.

“Nikki Bull’s been great at Margate. He allowed me to have a chat with Harry and I’m pleased to get this one done.”

Maidstone faced competition to land Phipps, who used to play for the club’s under-15s.

Saunders added: “If you’re an 18-year-old lad and you’re playing regularly in the Conference South and playing very well, it’s always going to attract interest.

“I was very impressed with what I saw and I spoke to a few other managers that had come up against him in that league and they were all very positive.

“Yes, he’s young. I’ve said we want to bring experience in but at the same time, if there’s good young players then we won’t overlook it.”