Jay Saunders is putting player contract talks on hold with Maidstone in the middle of a league championship fight.

Boss Saunders had been planning to start offering deals but has had a change of heart.

Stones are seven points clear of Margate at the top of the Ryman League Premier Division and Saunders wants to concentrate on winning the title.

He said: "It's a bit awkward at the moment. I did say I was going to start speaking to people but I just feel with where we are at the moment, it's not the time.

"The lads know I won't be looking to make wholesale changes in the summer.

"The other thing is we don't know what league we're going to be in.

"They all know I will be looking to keep the majority of them.

"If we win the next five games and it looks like we're going to win the league, things might change but now is not the time."

Maidstone's all-ticket home game against Margate on March 28 is a 2,226 sell-out.