Maidstone United's players are in the rare position of having to respond to a rocket from their manager.

Stones dropped two points in the Ryman League Premier Division title race after conceding an 88th-minute equaliser against lowly Witham last weekend.

Their lead is down to four points ahead of the long trip to Leiston on Saturday.

It’s the first of two away games in four days, with Stones off to Hampton & Richmond on Tuesday.

Boss Jay Saunders said: "We weren’t good enough against Witham – it’s as simple as that.

"It’s not often I’ve come out after a game and said ‘do you know what, we’ve been poor today’ but we certainly were last Saturday.

"You do lose it with the players a few times every season and they were made fully aware that the performance wasn’t acceptable.

"But we’ve got an honest bunch and you get the gist of what everyone’s thinking when you go back in the changing room.

"It was in their eyes, they knew it wasn’t good enough, but it’s gone now and we’ve got to move on.

"You could see at training on Tuesday night that the players just want the next game.

"Every time we’ve played badly and lost – and Saturday felt like a loss – we’ve always put on a half-decent performance in the next game.

"That’s what we’ve got to do on Saturday."

Steve Watt, James Rogers and Billy Bricknell completed two-match bans in the rearranged League Cup quarter-final defeat at Hendon on Wednesday night and are likely to start at Leiston, although Alex Brown is an injury doubt.

Read the full story in the Kent Messenger.