Hakan Hayrettin has warned Maidstone players they will struggle to pick up new clubs this summer.

Hayrettin was speaking after the Stones’ 2-0 defeat by his former club Braintree yesterday, a result that means they will probably finish bottom of the National League.

The head coach was frustrated by a poor performance at the Gallagher, saying his side “didn’t show any fire at all”.

Big changes are expected following relegation and, not for the first time, Hayrettin offered his squad a few home truths.

He told them they are playing for their careers but feels the message isn’t hitting home.

Hayrettin said: “How many times am I going to tell them?

“We haven’t told them once, we’ve told them a hundred times but if they don’t care, how are we going to do it?

“I said this when I first came here, the mix of players at this club isn’t right and the inconsistency is even worse.

“They aren’t going to play for a better club than this, I can assure you.

“Maybe one or two will go to better things but it’s down to them what they want to do, it’s not down to me. We’re trying to get them to understand what’s at stake.

“I’ve got twins, a boy and girl, 13-years-old.

“My son, academically, is more intelligent than my daughter but my daughter always gets better results.

“You know why? She doesn’t give up, she pushes herself to the limit and that’s what these boys don’t do.

“They don’t understand it, they think the grass is greener on the other side.

“It isn’t, and it won’t be and yet if there’s any chance of them staying here, we’ve got to think twice and really think about if they’re the ones for us because on these performances, no.”

Hayrettin left Braintree for Maidstone in January and Iron fans enjoyed ribbing their former boss throughout the game.

That didn’t bother Hayrettin, who could only praise his old club’s performance.

He said: “I’ll tell you what the difference is. When I came to this football club I had to build a team of players that were hungry, that wanted it.

“They’ve had their budget cut, that’s no secret, some of those players are playing for nothing, for their futures, and that’s the difference.

“I built a team there of people that if I’d stayed maybe they would have had a chance of fighting and staying up but obviously the team got dismantled and the budget got cut and Danny (Searle) and his staff are doing a fantastic job.

“We just didn’t show any fire at all unfortunately.

“I actually think they just couldn’t get to grips with the Braintree players who I thought were fantastic on the day.”

Maidstone visit Sutton on Easter Monday and hope to have defender Will De Havilland back after illness.

Read the match report from Maidstone's 2-0 defeat by Braintree