John Still vowed to work 24/7 for Maidstone’s ‘fantastic’ fans after a big welcome back.

United were cheered on by 449 travelling supporters in their 3-0 defeat at Leyton Orient, a phenomenal turn-out for a side struggling at the foot of the National League.

Still’s name was sung loudly at full-time, 30 years after he last took charge of the Stones, and he’ll do everything he can to give them a fighting chance of staying up.

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On his reception, new boss Still said: “Fantastic. I thought it was really good and that’s another reason why I have to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, along with Hakan (Hayrettin, head coach) and Simon (Walton, player-coach), to try and find some ingredients that we need, and work as hard as we can on the training ground to produce some things that people will be delighted with. That’s my job.”

Still has been there, seen it and done it in a 40-year managerial career but it was no ordinary day after rejoining the club he led to the Football League in 1989.

He said: “I wouldn’t say I had butterflies but I was fully aware this was an important day for me if I’m honest.

“When I was making my way here I actually tried to recall, and I couldn’t, the first game I did at Maidstone.

“I was probably a lot more nervous then than I was today.

“But whenever you go in another direction, the first day or two at training, or the first match, I think there’s always a little bit of apprehension.”

Still knows he needs to strengthen but Maidstone’s work rate gave him grounds for optimism.

It’s a good starting point as United, who remain six points from safety, bid to get out of trouble in the final 15 games.

Still said: “I thought we worked hard, I was really pleased with our organisation but three goals came from restarts - penalty, corner and a long throw.

“They’re areas we have to work really hard on because that’s where goals come from.

“Is the team good enough? Not at this particular moment it isn’t, no.

“Did it work hard enough? Absolutely, and if people work hard I’ll be the first one to shake their hand.

"It’s given me a good view of players’ capabilities but also what it’s done is shown me if everyone has got a work mentality because without that we have no chance.

“Well, I would say we haven’t got no chance now, we’ve got a difficult chance but, you know what, that’s the challenge, so come on, that’s what we’re going to do.

“Come on you supporters, come on you players, come on you staff, come on, let’s get back to work, let’s keep working at it.

“If we can get a little bit of a run going behind it, who knows what we can do?

“But it’s really important the work ethic we’ve tried in instil in one training session is maintained.

“And if you maintain it, it normally pushes other things forward so from that point of view, I’m happy.”

Read the match report from Maidstone's 3-0 defeat Leyton Orient