Gillingham are looking for non-league stars but Justin Edinburgh claims it’s getting harder to sign them.

Edinburgh knows the semi-professional scene well having managed various clubs for a decade before guiding Newport County into the Football League.

He feels there are plenty of players capable of making the step up but says they are being priced out of moves by the Jamie Vardy factor.

The Leicester striker set a Premier League record of scoring in 11 consecutive games just three years after playing Conference football at Fleetwood – and that’s making it tougher to grab a non-league bargain.

Gills boss Edinburgh said: “There’s a lot of those kind of players out there.

“I took one from St Ives when I was at Newport in Conor Washington who’s grabbing headlines at the minute for Peterborough.

“I think we bought him for £3,000 and ended up selling him for £250,000 with a turnaround of nine months.

“They’re out there and we as a club have our finger on the pulse.

“What’s becoming more difficult with these non-league players now is that the clubs are tying them down on contracts, whereas a few years ago they were non-contract and you could step into negotiations and it be amicable and fair.

“Everyone now in non-league sees their player as being Vardy so they want extraordinary amounts of money for a player who’s got unbelievable potential but that’s all it is.

“There are these players out there and there will continue to be.

“We’ve just got to try and find the right ones at the right price.”

Read the full story in Monday's Medway Messenger