Sam Corne’s second season at Maidstone is proving in stark contrast to his first.

Not only are the team performing much better, losing just two of their opening 10 games in National South, Corne has also stayed injury-free.

That’s good news for the midfielder who saw a large chunk of his debut campaign at the Gallagher wiped out by a knee injury.

“Last year was a bit frustrating in terms of just being injured and it took longer to get back than we expected,” said Corne.

“I’ve enjoyed this season, playing regularly, and we’re doing well, which helps.

“We’re going through a slight blip at the minute but we aren’t losing, we’re drawing, and we can easily turn those draws into wins.

“We’ve only lost twice in 10, it’s looking good, we just need to get back to picking up three points.”

Maidstone had been due to face Corne's old club Braintree this weekend but that game has been postponed following positive Covid-19 tests at the Gallagher.

Corne first worked with Hakan Hayrettin at Braintree and says Maidstone's manager is a changed man this season.

He said: “Hak says it himself but he has changed.

“He’s definitely more calm, he has trust in his team and the squad he’s created and it’s shown in our results.

“When I went to Braintree, Jamie Day was the manager but he got sacked and Hak came in.

“The reason I’m at Maidstone is because of Hak”

Hayrettin has settled on a 4-2-3-1 system and it’s working well, with Corne one of the two sitting midfielders.

The Stones boss has also moulded a side packed with big characters - and that’s told in their performances.

Corne said: “I think the system has worked well for us.

“We’re solid in defence and you look at our front three, front four, and they’ve got goals in them.

“We’ve also got boys who aren’t afraid to say something if it needs to be said.

“Sometimes it can be detrimental if you’ve got too much to say. It’s a fine line but I think we’ve got it right.

“If someone needs a kick up the backside, it helps, and we’re all here to get us as high as possible.

“We are capable of doing well in this league with the boys we’ve got. It’s only us who can get us where we want to be and we’re doing that.”

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