Hakan Hayrettin says the damage was done before he and John Still took charge at Maidstone.

The Stones are 10 points from safety with 12 games remaining after losing to FC Halifax on Tuesday night.

National League survival prospects are looking bleak but it was never going to be a quick fix under the new management team.

Head coach Hayrettin said: "Nothing’s changed from when we came here.

"We were second from bottom when we came here and we’re still second from bottom.

"If you’re asking me was the damage done before we came, probably.

"If you want me to be honest, I’m being honest.

"We’ve come in and we're going to do our utmost to do everything we possibly can to turn things around.

"It’s going to take time for us to implement what we want.

"We didn’t lose for three games then we’ve lost two, so we’ve got to go back again, get them on their toes, get them bright, get them alert, get them ready and go again.

"We’ve got 12 games to fight for every point we can possibly get and give it a right good go.

"It isn't going to be a quick fix.

"If you’re asking me my personal opinion, it’s all about habits.

"What’s happened at this football club at the moment is everybody’s got into habits and that habit is they’re losing or drawing and it’s doom and gloom and we need to get that habit out of them.

"We’ve got to get into good habits.

"Everyone likes to go to work with a smile on their face, don’t they? It’s no different with the players."

The FA Trophy could be Maidstone's best chance to salvage something from the season but they face a difficult quarter-final at Stockport this Saturday.

County, a former Championship club, are second in National League North and arguably favourites on home soil to reach the semi-finals.

Hayrettin said: "We know they’re high-flying but we want to win and we want to go there and do our best and hopefully the boys can.

"They’ll probably think they’ve got a good chance of beating us but I don’t really care what they think, it’s what we do.

"Listen, it’s a cup competition so you’ve got to go there thinking about the cup, not the league."

Dion-Curtis Henry (foot) and Shaun Donnellan (groin) could join Simon Walton (shoulder) on the sidelines, while Josh Taylor and Jake Robinson are cup-tied.