George Elokobi compared the atmosphere Maidstone’s fans created for their big weekend win to the one which helped inspire last season’s shock FA Cup win against Ipswich.
The National League South Stones moved up to second in the table last Saturday as wideman Charlie Seaman claimed the game’s only goal in their 1-0 victory against fellow play-off occupants Torquay.
Maidstone’s players did the business in front of nearly 3,000 home fans at the Gallagher Stadium.
Boss Elokobi praised the club’s supporters, describing the atmosphere they made as akin to the one that saw the Stones see off then-Championship club Ipswich 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round a little over a year ago.
He said: “It was important we sent our fans, who I thought were absolutely fantastic on Saturday, home happy. They were magnificent.
“It felt like a cup tie – like the fourth round in the FA Cup – that’s the feeling I got.
“Our supporters have always been there. They just want us to do well and, also, for the team to win games.
Report: Maidstone 1-0 Torquay
Elokobi: Everyone was a 10 out of 10
“In the second half against Worthing (during last month’s 2-1 defeat), I couldn’t fault the players’ commitment, their desire, their determination and their quality. The only thing lacking was a goal. But we put that right on Saturday.
“We knew that three points was reachable but, also, that we needed to perform to the levels we know we can perform to so full credit to our players.”
While Maidstone are firmly in the promotion picture, few points separate all the clubs in the play-off spots from the leaders.
“We don’t look at the league table,” Elokobi insisted. “There are still 16 games left this season so there’s plenty of points to be played for. There will be ups and downs.
“We just have to concentrate – as Maidstone United – on one game at a time and one training session at the time. We will carry on helping the players to improve in the areas that we believe they can improve.
“Then, we’ll just see where that takes us.”
The Stones will travel to Slough on Saturday, with their weekend hosts having suffered three straight 3-1 defeats and on an 11-game winless streak.
But Elokobi, whose team were held to a 1-1 home draw by Scott Davies’ side in mid-October, added: “We need to get back to work this week before coming up against a team that’s always going to be a tough opponent.”
Versatile midfielder Arjanit Krasniqi wasn’t involved in the matchday squad against Torquay despite having been recalled from his loan at promotion-chasing Isthmian Premier team Billericay last week.
#Maidstone #United #boss #George #Elokobi #compares #atmosphere #fans #created #win #Torquay #United #helped #inspire #Cup #victory #Ipswich #Town
Leave a Reply