Maidstone expect to unveil a new striker within the next two weeks as the final piece in their team jigsaw for the forthcoming campaign.

Joint-managers Lloyd Hume and Alan Walker, who completed the bulk of their new signings within weeks of last season’s finish, left room for manoeuvre on their playing budget to get the right man.

Hume, who admitted a month ago that the pair dare not get it wrong in making their choice, said: “We are talking with a player who fits the bill.

“With luck we could be in a position to make an announcement within the next two weeks.

“Negotiations are painstaking but we’re prepared to be patient.”

And for the first time, Hume disclosed that players unable to give the commitment demanded by the club would be free to leave.

That commitment includes training twice a week.

Since the end of last season, club chairman Paul Bowden-Brown has repeatedly stressed the need for a more professional approach which Walker and Hume endorse.

Hume went as far to admit: “To be honest, one or two things were a bit Kent League last season. That won’t happen in the future because all players have been made fully aware of what’s wanted.

“This club pay good wages for the level we’re at. The players are well looked after so we want them to respond accordingly.

“If they don’t train they won’t get paid. It’s as simple as that.

“And all players will have to report to our own physiotherapist for treatment. We will not accept them visiting their own physios.”