Maidstone United v Croydon Athletic

MAIDSTONE UNITED joint manager Alan Walker said the chance of regaining first place in Ryman League Division 1 South will be a major incentive for his players for tonight’s home game against Croydon.

The Stones were knocked off top spot when Hastings won 3-2 at Ashford last night but Walker is convinced his side can respond in the right way.

He said: "It's a big motivation for the players knowing that we have two games in hand and even a draw will be enough to put us back at the top.

"But I am confident that if we play to our potential we can pick up all three points tonight. We won 4-1 at Croydon a few weeks ago and centre-back Ryan Royston got a hat-trick.

"They were quite weak at defending set-pieces and we will try and exploit that again as well as making the most of our greater experience."

Defender Lee Shearer could be in line for a return to the starting line-up after fully recovering from a pulled thigh muscle.

Tonight's game at Bourne Park kicks off at 7.45pm.

* Keep up with all the Stones news every week in the Kent Messenger.