Skipper gives new boss seal of approval

Stuart Lewis has welcomed the appointment of Harry Wheeler as Maidstone’s new manager. Captain Lewis always saw the former Billericay boss as a leading contender among the various names suggested. Experienced heads such as Peter Taylor, Chris Kinnear and Garry Hill were among those linked following Jay Saunders’ exit. But Maidstone have put their faith in a 30-year-old and Lewis feels it’s a good move. He said: “He did a really good job at Billericay, he’s got some good experience in his coaching. “It’s an exciting appointment and the boys are looking forward to working with him. “We saw some of the favourites who were involved and we had a few little chats, who we thought it might be. “He was always one who I think was in and around it. “It’s quite a forward-thinking appointment and we’ll all be training hard to impress him and turn around our season.” Lewis, who turns 31 next month, is older than Wheeler but age is no barrier in the modern game. The skipper added: “I don’t think it’s a problem. “Players these days want to be coached. They want good information, they want to know how we’re going to play and what we’re going to do. “You look at Harry’s coaching credentials and he’s going to have that, so that’s the main thing. “There’s a lot of managers around Europe and around the world that are not all 40/50 years of age. It’s an exciting time for the club and we’ll see where it goes. “There’s no getting away from it, it’s been tough. “We were hugely disappointed for Jay Saunders to leave the club. He was outstanding for me and got my career back on track at Maidstone. “With the age of the group and a lot of the players never experiencing something like this, it’s been tough and maybe that’s shown in some of the performances. “Hopefully, now we can get a bit of stability and kick on.” Lewis doesn’t know if he’ll retain the armband under Wheeler but, either way, will give everything for the cause. He said: “I was Jay Saunders’ appointment and it was a massive achievement for me to get the armband at a club like this. “If Harry sees me in a different light or sees someone else that can fulfil those responsibilities, that’ll be fine by me. I’ll still play as I do.” A home game against unbeaten National League leaders Harrogate on Saturday is potentially a daunting start but Lewis believes it’s the ideal fixture for the new manager. He said: “Some people won’t be sure about that comment but I think it’s the best game you can get. It’s not a free hit but people won’t expect us to get anything. “We’re on a poor run so they might be thinking we’re all over the place still but it’s a great one for the new manager to get his teeth into. “As players, it’s about time we put on a performance here in front of the home crowd.” Terry Casey says Harry Wheeler was miles ahead of the field in Maidstone’s search for a new boss.

Co-owner Casey was hugely im pr essed when United interviewed Wheeler last week.

They spoke again on Monday and the former Billericay manager agreed a deal to the end of the season.

Casey said: “He interviewed r e a l ly we l l . W e had recommendations from people in the football business that we respect enormously and we were thrilled when we realised how much potential he has and how much he’d achieved in a short time.

“We were just delighted with him accepting the job.

“The shortlist we composed was a very strong list of applicants but on reflection Harry was just miles ahead in everything.

“He had everything we wanted and his passion for the game was second to none.

“I don’t see the appointment as a risk at all. I see it as a massive step forward for the club at all levels.

“He’s into the community side, he’s going to be working in the academy, he’s just an allembracing appointment.

“He’s going to take on the whole Maidstone United mantra and he’s going to do everything we want him to do because that’s the type of chap he is.”

The board will make funds available for new signings but Casey also wants to see more from the current squad, who he feels didn’t perform for ex-boss Jay Saunders.

Casey said: “I don’t think we’ve worked hard enough. I don’t know how clever we’ve been with our recruitment because I don’t think the players have come up to their full potential.

“If Jay was an embittered man, he’d probably think to himself these players are very good players but they haven’t done it for him. That’s a shame but the nature of football.

“I just want to see us play well. I don’t think we’ve played very well for a long time.

“We have to find more money – we just have to find it. We’ll find it from within the business. We’ll have to do whatever we have to do.

“We really want to stay in this league. I think this is our natural place but we haven’t played well, we haven’t entertained the supporters.

“We need more excitement on the pitch. I think we’ll do that now with Harry. I think he’ll bring a different energy and tempo to the whole thing.”

Saunders’ shock exit led to a backlash among supporters but Casey says he and fellow directors Bill Williams and Oliver Ash acted in the best interests of the club.

He’s urged supporters to get behind the new manager.

Casey said: “Just keep the faith. Nobody could ever question Bill, Oliver or my motives.

“Our motivation is simply to put on a good show on the pitch.

“Parting company with Jay, there was no agenda other than putting on a better performance on the pitch.

“Just stick with us. We’re going to do our best for the supporters and that’s why we’ve gone through this tortuous process.

“Letting Jay go was very, very difficult, for Jay as well.”