Jay: We are not far away
Karagiannis has been recalled from a prolific loan spell at Dulwich Hamlet and could be involved when Stones host fellow National League strugglers North Ferriby at the Gallagher tomorrow (Saturday).
The winger enjoyed himself at Hamlet but is thrilled to be back after manager Jay Saunders cut short his two-month loan.
Karagiannis said: “I’ve missed it. Maidstone is where I’ve had my best time in England.
“I’ve missed the club, the people and the players. I’m happy to be back and hope things go well.
“I always believe in myself if I get a chance. I’m exactly the same player as when I left, the only thing now is I have the fitness to play.
“I don’t know when I’ll start playing – that’s the gaffer’s choice – but whenever it is, I’m going to show what I can do and help the team pick up points.”
The chance to play in front of the Gallagher crowd will give Karagiannis an extra lift and he’s confident he’ll be able to handle the National League.
He said: “The fans are special people. All the time I was away I was receiving nice messages from them. They’re different class, beautiful people. Manager Jay Saunders is craving consistency as Maidstone prepare to meet North Ferriby. Saunders is convinced United aren’t far away from being a good National League side but he never knows what he’s going to get. They host second-bottom Ferriby at the Gallagher tomorrow (Saturday) needing points to stay out of trouble. Saunders, whose side are 18th, said: “We’ve just got no consistency, whether it be over 90 minutes or over a run of games. We just can’t get a run together and it’s driving me mad. “The difference with this league is you find the teams up there make less mistakes. “The last few years we haven’t made many mistakes and this year we just struggle not to make mistakes. “It’s frustrating because I don’t think we’re far off being a decent and comfortable team at this level. “We’re probably two, three players short of being OK. “I still think the squad’s good enough to stay up – we need to add – but we’ve proven we can beat teams and put in good performances in this league but consistency is different. “The thing with consistency and what we’ve had over recent years – and whenever I’ve been in teams that do well – is you turn up for games and you’ve got that feeling that we’re not going to get beat today, we’re not going to make mistakes. “You might not play to your best but you’ll give a six, seven out of 10 consistently.”