‘Three points were for taking’

Delano Sam-Yorke has laughed off his lack of goals at Maidstone. The Stones striker has scored only once in the National League all season but won’t beat himself up over it. The big man couldn’t keep a straight face when speaking about his return after United’s goalless draw at Guiseley on Saturday. But he’ll keep working hard and is aiming to treble his tally before the end of the season. He said: “I know I’ve been shy in front of goal all year but I’m still going strong, I’m still trying to get in positions to score. “It hasn’t been happening but I’m still confident. I’m trying and that’s all I can do. You’ve got to smile in these kind of situations. “I’m going to keep going and try and get some goals. I think I’m going to score about three more by the time the season’s over. “I like to think I bring more than goals. I’m quite a confident lad, I’m powerful and try to get assists as well as goals. “I know I’ve been shy in front of goal but I think I bring a lot to the table.” Sam-Yorke played well at Guiseley – the ground where he made his Maidstone debut last year – and threatened a few times. He said: “I did all right at Guiseley. I was just trying to work as hard as possible and trying to get in the box more. “I did OK. I could have done better maybe in a few positions but we got a point, so it’s not a wasted journey.” Boss Jay Saunders saw Maidstone’s goalless draw at Guiseley as a missed opportunity. The Stones had plenty of chances against the National League’s bottom side but couldn’t make them count and returned from Yorkshire with a goalless draw. Saunders (pictured) said: “We’ve had enough chances to win the game, enough spells in the game, I thought we had the majority of possession. “They looked dangerous on the break but if you really look at it, we’ve hit the crossbar twice, maybe three times. We’ve got in some great areas and we’ve got to do better. “If we do then we win the game but we haven’t been able to do that again and that’s disappointing. “I thought we defended well for large parts but I’m disappointed. “It’s a point and it was important we didn’t come here and lose. “That was the main thing but I think there were three points there for the taking. At times we played some good stuff.” A big plus for Maidstone was the performance of Reece Prestedge after weeks out of the team. Saunders always had him in mind for Guiseley and the 32-year-old bossed midfield. “People don’t see what goes on week to week in training and on match days behind the scenes,” said Saunders. “I’ll give Prezza his due, he’s never once sulked. “That sometimes happens with players, his attitude’s been first class and even if he’s been left out the squad, he gets behind the boys. “I did say to him a few weeks back your chance will come and I thought he was outstanding, and for me he was man-of-the-match. “He’s probably not played for months so it was hard for him but he’s looked after himself – I know it probably doesn’t look like he has – but he has looked after himself and done extra work with Harrison Grant (fitness coach).”