It’s been announced that John Still will leave Maidstone United for a second time in the summer when he will depart his role as Director of Football.

Thirty one years after he left the Stones for the first time – Still led Maidstone to the Football Conference title in 1989 which clinched promotion to the Football League before leaving as he didn’t want to coach full time – Still (who will turn 70 before the end of the season) has decided to call time on his illustrious career that has seen him manage ten different clubs with three stints at both Dagenham & Redbridge and Barnet and has taken three different clubs into the Football League; apart from Maidstone, he’s also guided Dagenham and Luton Town to Conference glory and into the Football League.

Speaking to the clubs official website, the retiring Director of Football was quoted as saying, “While this time was never going to compete with my first spell here, I hope that along with the owners, Bill, Hak and Ryan, we’ve put things in place that will eventually get the club back up a division and push on from there.”

“I might have been the first to take Maidstone into the Football League but if everyone pulls in the same direction, I certainly won’t be the last.”

It was also confirmed that Hakan Hayrettin would be “taking the lead” of first team affairs, something that Still gave his approval to when he told the official website, “When I agreed to come back, I wanted Hak to be part of that and to eventually pass the baton to him. Maidstone was always unfinished business for me, and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to come in and renew my association with the club.”