Hall-Johnson looking to bounce back with Stones
Alex Flisher has laughed off jibes over his weight and fitness, saying: “I’ve just got a tighter shirt!” Flisher scored his first goal of the season in Maidstone’s 3-1 National League win at Chester, turning on Tom Murphy’s pass and finding the bottom corner. The strike silenced Chester supporters, while Flisher’s condition was even questioned by some of his own fans during pre-season. He said: “To be fair, people have come up to me before and said ‘you’re not fit’ but I actually weigh less now than I did before I was injured, I’ve just got a tighter shirt! “They can think what they like but I’m fitter than I was. “It does make me laugh. You get used to it after a while. “Everyone knows I like food but I’ve calmed down a little bit. “You’ve got to take it more seriously in this league but I feel better now than I did. “It’s just a tougher standard so you don’t stand out as much as Maidstone new-boy Reece Hall-Johnson has taken his old Norwich manager’s words on board. Canaries boss Alex Neil had some advice for the young right-back when he released him following relegation from the Premier League. Hall-Johnson, 21, said: The gaffer at Norwich said to me that he wanted to go with what he knew and experience and said I probably wouldn’t play this year. “He said ‘go and make a name for yourself’ so that’s what I’ve gone to do.” Hall-Johnson made his Norwich debut in a League Cup tie against Crawley two years ago but never got the chance to play regular football at Carrow Road. He added: “It’s tough. Norwich is a tough club. They’ve got so many players, 30-something players, so when you think you used to in the Ryman Premier. “We’re part-time footballers. Football’s not my life, I’ve got another job. “Tuesday night, for example, I was up at 6am to go to work and then you don’t get home from Aldershot till quarter past 12 in the morning, and then you’re up again at 6. “What can you do? You’ve got to live your life.” Flisher made his name as a winger but has been used up front this season. He said: “It’s good. This is going to sound a bit bad but I thought it would be a lot tougher playing up front than it is. “It doesn’t seem as physical as it was last year. “There’s not as many battles, which is easier but defenders are a lot sharper and read the game better, which is where they stand out. “I haven’t played up there for long so it’s learn as I go.” Trips to the likes of Aldershot and Chester show how far Flisher has come with his hometown club. He added: “You turn up at these places and realise you’re playing proper football teams now. “Four years ago we were away at teams like Ramsgate and Whitstable, where you get 250 people. “We now play in front of 2,000 people, week in, week out, so it’s a good experience.” you’re close, sometimes you’re not and when you’re not close sometimes you just get chucked in. “I was happy to go and make a name for myself somewhere else.” Hall-Johnson had been training at Ebbsfleet when he got the call to join Maidstone following an injury to Callum Driver. He signed on Friday and went straight into the squad for the trip to Chester the next day, coming off the bench in a 3-1 victory. Hall-Johnson, who also plays in midfield, said: “I was doing a bit of training at Ebbsfleet, keeping fit and then I got a call from the gaffer here. “I want to come here and see how it goes, do well for the team, see where the team finish and see how we all finish.”