Maidstone manager Jay Saunders is backing Zavon Hines to get better and better.

Hines followed his opener against Woking at the weekend by scoring a classy winner in Stones’ victory at Eastleigh on Tuesday night.

He won the battle of the former Premier League players against Eastleigh’s new signing Gary McSheffrey, the ex-Coventry and Birmingham forward.

Saunders said: “The National League is a very good league now. There’s a lot of ex-league players.

“You say about McSheffrey but look at Zav for us who’s played in the Premier League for West Ham and, let’s be honest, he could still be playing in the Football League.

“He’s come in and done really well and he’s getting better every game.

“His workrate’s getting better and his understanding of what we need from him.

“It was a great strike for his goal. I’m delighted for him.”

Maidstone are 12th after 10 games and make the long trip to Macclesfield on Saturday.

Saunders is encouraged by a run of one defeat in six games that’s left them only four points off the top but has warned against getting carried away.

He said: “As a manager, you always expect to do better and I honestly believe we should be sitting here with more points on the table but I’m happy with what we’ve got.

“I think we’ve had as hard a start as anyone.

“There’s not many teams outside the top six or seven that we haven’t played but we’re not going into games fearing them.

“I won’t get too excited, though, because football changes very quickly and I think the players know that.

“But they’re enjoying what they’re doing, there’s a good togetherness, right through to the subs, and we’re all pulling in the same direction.

“If we keep doing that then we’ve got a chance of having a half-decent season.”

Delano Sam-Yorke (hamstring) and Josh Hare (groin) are doubts.