Jay Saunders has defended his decision to substitute Jack Paxman following heavy booing at the Gallagher.

Maidstone fans made their feelings known after Saunders withdrew goalscorer Paxman in their Bank Holiday Monday defeat by Boreham Wood.

The midfielder made way for striker Shamir Mullings in a change of formation with the score at 1-1 but United went on to lose 2-1.

Saunders said: "I’ll always make decisions I think are right at the time.

"If we go on and win the game it’s the right decision.

"People can go, ‘oh we lost the game’ but I’m saying to you now we haven’t lost that game because I took Jack Paxman off.

"It doesn’t bother me whether I get booed.

"I’m a manager, I make decisions. I’ll get booed at times and people won’t agree with stuff.

"If Sham comes on and gets the winner everyone’s saying, ‘oh what a great move’.

"At the time we weren’t getting out of our half and I just felt it was an opportunity to get another centre-forward on and that was the way we wanted to go.

"I wanted to leave our top goalscorer on, Blair Turgott, and it was a question of do you leave Blair in the No.10 role or do you go Paxman?

"At the end of the day Blair’s been scoring goals so I went with the one I felt would get us a goal, or be more likely - I know Pax had scored today - for that last period.

"So you make decisions and not everyone’s going to agree with them. That’s what I’m there for.

"Sometimes you make decisions and everyone’s pleased with them and sometimes they’re not and on this one they weren’t.

"It’s not the first time I’ve been booed here and it won’t be the last.

"I’ve been managing for eight years now so I’ve had everything thrown at me and you get used to it."

Saunders accepted Boreham Wood deserved their victory as back-to-back defeats saw Maidstone slip to 19th in the early National League standings.

He said: "I just don’t think we had enough players turn up.

"I thought they were the better team. If you look at it man for man, they did better on the day.

"Let’s not try and hide from the fact - they were better on the day, it’s as simple as that.

"There’s one or two that have got to start stepping up to the plate and cement their place in the team.

"I keep giving people opportunities and I don’t think they’re taking them.

"It’s disappointing from that side of it but Boreham Wood deserved their win."

Read the match report from Maidstone's 2-1 defeat by Boreham Wood