UNITED WANT PLAY-OFF PLACE BEFORE TITLE TALK

good result against Sutton, then we’ve got to look seriously at trying to win the league.

“We’ve got to worry about St Albans first. They’re down there but they’re on a good run and sometimes it’s harder to play teams down the bottom who are fighting for their lives. We saw that at Chelmsford.”

Maidstone go into the weekend five points behind leaders Ebbsfleet with two games in hand.

Sutton are a further point back in third with three games in hand on the leaders.

Fleet have led the table since August but Saunders makes Sutton favourites to take the title, having gone 19 games unbeaten, a run stretching back to early November.

Saunders said: “I don’t know if we’re good enough to win the league.

“We shouldn’t be if you look at our squad compared to Ebbsfleet and Sutton.

“I doubt anyone else in the top five had three or four academy players involved over the weekend but we’ve done well to get where we are.

“For me, Sutton are favourites to win it over Ebbsfleet – 100%. They’re on one of those runs where you feel like you’re never going to lose.

“They’ve got a decent squad, a good blend of youth and experience and the team in the ascendancy.

“Paul Doswell has done a great job there. They’ll take some beating.”

Saunders expects the visit of Sutton on Tuesday to be Maidstone’s hardest game of the season.

He added: “We’ve played Ebbsfleet twice early-season but we’re at the business end now.

“It’s going to be a good occasion and if we get the result we want at St Albans, there’ll be a lot riding on it.”