Alex Finney had his pick of 10 clubs before signing a two-year deal at Maidstone.

Defender Finney is back at the Gallagher Stadium after an excellent season on loan from QPR.

He was a wanted man after leaving Rangers but snubbed League 2 interest in favour of the Stones.

Finney, 22, said: "A lot of people approached me and I had to whittle it down to a bitesize amount.

"From 10 clubs I ended up getting it down to three or four.

"Something didn't sit right with me about not staying.

"It came down to my gut and I knew I wanted to stay for another year or two.

"Sometimes your instinct is the best thing to go on.

"In this industry you've got to do what feels right at the time otherwise you could look back and regret it.

"That's why I felt it was the best decision to make.

"Football's one of those things in that if you have a good year, you really do have a good year.

"I had some interest in League 2 and a lot of interest in the National League.

"It came down to a couple of teams but Maidstone was the one for me."

The chance to work with Stones boss Jay Saunders appealed, while Finney also felt the love of the fans when reaching his decision.

He added: "I'm a firm believer that actions speak louder than words.

"I felt Jay's actions and the club's actions and the fans' actions spoke loud enough throughout the year.

"I did have a couple of conversations with Jay in between and he gave me his perspective as a manager and as a friend.

"When you can relate to someone like that, it's a chemistry I feel will be positive for my career.

"I'm here to help Maidstone, and him, and I just want to give a good account of myself.

"To me, football is my job. To the supporters, it's what they love, it's their passion.

"It didn't sit right with me that people could show me so much respect and love and I didn't repay it."

Finney wants to challenge for a top-10 finish in the National League after last season's relegation fight.

He said: "Anything's possible in football. You've got teams like Salford coming up, who are a good side, but we've got a boxer's chance.

"Personally, I'd like to finish in the top 10.

"We were well capable of it last year but sometimes things didn't go our way.

"The nucleus of the team is quite strong and the gaffer's still adding to it."