Top scorer Joan Luque will put pre-match nerves aside as he bids to lead Maidstone to victory at Dorking.

Luque made it 16 goals for the season with his wonder strike against Oxford City last weekend.

That’s some going for a winger, with Luque loving his football at Maidstone so much he’s already signed up for next season.

Nerves play a part before kick-off - and there might be a few more than normal going into Saturday’s top-of-the-table game.

But, as soon as Luque emerges from the tunnel, you’d never know.

“At the end of the day it’s another game of football but the nerves are there, the tension is there,” said the Spaniard.

“Obviously we’re playing for something big, we’re going there to win, and it’s always going to be tough.

“I do get nervous just before the games but once I come out, that’s it.

“They’re a good team, they play good football and they beat us at home (2-0 in October).

“Hopefully we can beat them there and get to the top of the league, where we want to be.”

Victory over third-placed Oxford City set Maidstone up nicely for their meeting with the leaders.

Luque opened the scoring with a special strike in a 2-1 win as Hakan Hayrettin’s side moved seven points clear of City.

“It was a good strike,” said Luque.

“It’s one of those, it comes out of your feet and you know you’ve hit it perfect, and obviously you follow the curve of the ball and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s in.’ I don’t think anyone’s saving it.

“This was a massive one to win because they were third and if they beat us, they were going one point behind and now we're seven points ahead and potentially 10, if we win our game in hand.

“That’s quite a gap against a direct rival, so, like we say, tick them off and on to the next one.

“We’ve done that and now we can think about Dorking, which is going to be a battle again.

“We need to focus on Dorking now, go there, try to win and then on to the next one and the next one. It’s like counting them down.”

• Hak playing it cool

Luque, who scored a last-minute equaliser as Maidstone came from two down to draw at Dorking last season, signed a contract extension at the Gallagher last month.

It keeps the 29-year-old on board for the 2022/23 campaign, along with house-mate Regan Booty, Sam Corne, Joe Ellul, George Fowler and Bivesh Gurung.

“I love it here and you can see that on the pitch and off the pitch, with the fans and with everyone at the club," said Luque.

“It’s a happy place to be. There’s something about this club.

“Even before signing, every time I played here I scored, so it must be something about this ground. I just took to it.

“There’s no point leaving if you’re doing well.”