Midfielder Alex Flisher believes Maidstone United have a great chance of progressing in the FA Cup at Wrexham this weekend.

Having been a part of Kent’s FA County Youth Cup (U18) side in 2010, 22-year old Alex Flisher has been an established element of the Maidstone United side since the team returned to his home town.

With his all-action performances, he has become a firm favourite of the crowd, and explained that he is appreciative of their support.

Flisher told Kent Sports News, with tongue firmly in cheek, “I’m not sure why I’m that popular, maybe it’s the throw; I don’t know. Hopefully my shoulder clears up and we might see the throws back at Wrexham; we’ll have to see how it goes.”

Flisher’s form saw him receive a lot of the local and national press attention ahead of the Stevenage replay, but surrounded by an experienced squad, he has remained very grounded.

He added, “everyone has had their turn in front of the press, and that means there’s some banter flying around. But we all realise that the further you get in the FA Cup, the more you get used to the attention.”

“The club is probably in the best position it’s been in since reforming, and since I’ve been here, the Stevenage replay is by far the biggest occasion I’ve been involved in. When I first joined, the club was struggling, but it has progressed rapidly since Terry (Casey) and Oliver (Ash) came in.”

Whereas last year, when he was used primarily as a wide man, Jay Saunders has deployed Flisher as an out-and-out forward when Jay May has been missing from the side, and he has responded with his best goal return in a Maidstone shirt.

He explained “I think it’s all down to confidence. Last year I had a bad spell after Christmas where I wasn’t scoring and not playing well; I knew that, and Jay knew that. But this year, I feel a lot fitter and I think that is a big part of it. I had a good pre-season, lost a bit of weight and it’s helped a lot.”

Flisher’s earliest FA Cup memories were of Ryan Giggs’ goal against Arsenal in the 1998/99 semi-final, but the winger has played a full part in Maidstone’s run to the 2nd Round Proper.

“Both games against Stevenage are right up there”, said Flisher, adding “they were massive games and the crowd was unbelievable. Obviously the Welling game is close, because everyone saw us as underdogs, and we proved we are capable of matching anyone.”

“These games have been the loudest that I’ve ever heard the crowd in the three years we’ve been back in Maidstone.”

Looking forward to the Wrexham game, the Maidstone local said “I predict a win obviously. We’ve got to have a chance, as we proved against Welling and Stevenage that we can beat teams of that standard.”

“Wrexham aren’t having the greatest season, so we have a great chance to progress.”