Maidstone United midfielder Jordan Higgs on No.1 Alexis Andre Jr, Charlie Seaman’s quality, the club’s promotion push, the absence of skipper Sam Corne and wearing the armband in his absence

Stand-in Maidstone United captain Jordan Higgs thinks No.1 Alexis Andre Jr is the best goalkeeper in the division.

The Frenchman, 27, shone in last weekend’s vital 1-0 home victory against National League South promotion rivals Torquay, making some critical saves.

Higgs said: “He’s the best keeper in the league for a reason.

"We see that every day in training with the saves he can pull off.

“With the calmness he has, he’s been brilliant all season.”

The clean sheet against Torquay was an impressive ninth shut-out for Maidstone in their last 12 matches.

“Defensively, we’ve been brilliant all season,” added midfielder Higgs. “The amount of clean sheets we have kept all season has been great.

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“If you keep a clean sheet, more times than not, you’re going to win the game.

“If we can keep that up until the end of the season, things are looking good.”

George Elokobi’s troops are third and still eyeing title glory.

On the win over Torquay, Higgs said: “We’re buzzing.

“That was the goal, playing against a team that is near to us and going for the title.

“We want to build a gap if we can, get away from other teams and, hopefully, we can keep pushing on towards the top of the table.”

Wideman Charlie Seaman finally made Maidstone’s dominance count with an excellent long-range goal.

“We see it every day in training, how Charlie can strike a ball,” noted Higgs. “We know he’s got that in his locker.

“In the first game against them (a 1-1 draw in mid-November), he scored a great free-kick.

“We back him when he has a strike and, thankfully, it went in on Saturday.”

Seaman’s goal came in the 76th minute as Maidstone