Fit-again Sol Wanjau-Smith is ready to show the Maidstone fans what they’ve been missing.

The 24-year-old hardly featured for the Stones during their ill-fated National League campaign last season due to injury.

But he started the National League South opener against Slough last Saturday, scoring from the penalty spot, and is eager to impress.

“There are question marks at the club over my head about whether I was the right fit to even come here in the first place,” admitted Wanjau-Smith, who was signed by former Stones boss Hakan Hayrettin.

“I want to repay the faith that the gaffer and Craig (Fagan, assistant manager) have shown in me, just to keep working hard and hopefully I’ll chip in with a few goals.

“I’m like a new player in a way. I think I played 13 times last year but most of them were off the bench anyway.

“To be honest, I was playing in pain as well. I’ve had a very good off-season just getting back fit. Now I’m pain-free and I’m just working my socks off to give something back to the club.

“I’m just thankful that I’ve got a clean start, I’ve got to keep working hard and give back to the fans and the club.”

Maidstone manager George Elokobi has reshaped the squad he inherited with a number of new signings during the summer.

There was never any doubt in Wanjau-Smith’s mind, however, that he was going to stay at the club having originally joined on a two-year deal from Hungerford last summer.

“As I had another year I was always going to stay,” he said. “I’m settled in the town and have got mates here now outside of football. I love the town and the fans, they’ve been class to me.

“It wasn’t even a decision that had to be made, I was always going to stay. I’m going to fight to get the club back up to where they should be.

“Personally, I’ve had a good season at this level before so hopefully I can kick on and do the same thing again. I want to contribute to the team and get some wins.”

Not many people outside the Gallagher are expecting Maidstone to repeat their title-winning campaign of 2021/22.

But Wanjau-Smith believes they might have been underestimated in some quarters.

“It’s a big time for the club,” he added. “I don’t like to read into too many predictions but there’s people giving us predictions lower down the table as they don’t think we’re going to gel.

“But we don’t really listen to any of that. It’s about sticking together, we know the quality that we have and the hard work we put in during pre-season so hopefully it will start to show in the next couple of weeks.

“We’ve drawn a line in the sand on last season, thankfully. We’re focusing on how good we are and the quality we’ve got in the squad. It’s a level that quite a few of us have played before, and the club have been successful at this level before.

“We didn’t focus on not winning for so long, it’s about taking one game at a time now and not dwelling on what’s gone before.”