Balancing act
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Full-time football has its complications for Maidstone manager Jay Saunders.
Saunders completed two big deals this week with striker Delano Sam-Yorke joining from Woking after his successful loan and right-back Seth Twumasi signing a new one-year deal.
He’s also in talks with Joe Pigott, who’s been released by Cambridge, Jamar Loza and Magnus Okuonghae.
But whether others with day jobs can commit is another matter – and Saunders understands where they are coming from having been in the same position himself.
Stones are yet to agree deals with Tom Mills (glazier), Alex Flisher (carpenter), Bobby-Joe Taylor (railways) and Reece Prestedge (plumber).
Saunders said: “I was a tiler and if you’re asking someone to tell their boss you’re only available for two days a week, some companies can do it and others can’t.
“It becomes hard and players have to decide whether they’re better off carrying on with their day jobs.
“It depends where you are in life. I was in a situation at Ebbsfleet a few years back when they wanted to go full-time under Liam Daish.
“I had my job and I’d just had a kid and I couldn’t do it, so I know where people are coming from.
“We’re making good offers, fair offers, but we’re not going to cripple the club with silly offers. If people can’t stay, we’ll move on and find other players.”