United face Maidstone in their rearranged National League South clash tomorrow, with another important three points up for grabs.
Despite being held to a goalless draw by Tonbridge at Plainmoor on Saturday, Paul Wotton’s side remain handily placed for an assault on top spot, and maximum points tomorrow would undoubtedly boost their chances further.
Who’s The Boss?
George Elokobi took charge of the Stones in a caretaker role following the departure of Hakan Heyrettin in January of 2023, and despite being unable to stop Maidstone from being relegated he was given the job on a permanent basis in March.
Elokobi’s career saw him begin at Colchester United, and while at the U’s he also had a brief loan spell at Chester. Wolverhampton Wanderers were his next club and in a six year stay at Molineux he helped them to promotion from the Championship and into the Premier League in the 2008/09 season, when they finished as champions. During his time at the Midlands club he also had spells on loan at both Nottingham Forest and Bristol City.
Upon his release from Wolves in 2014, the defender spent a season at Oldham Athletic, before he made a return to Colchester in 2015 for a two year stay. which also included a loan spell at Braintree. Leyton Orient and Aldershot were his next two clubs before he joined Maidstone in 2019, and after three years at the Kent club he announced his retirement from playing football.
How Have They Been Doing?
Maidstone were the darlings on non-League last season, with their magnificent FA Cup run – including that unforgettable win at Premier League-bound Ipswich capturing the nation’s attention.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s proven quite a task replicating that on a regular basis so far this term, however their current placing of 16th is somewhat misleading, with The Stones having played a couple of games less than many of their rivals.
Saturday saw them secure all three points at home to Hornchurch in typically resilient fashion, with Temitope Eweka grabbing the decisive goal after just five minutes
Played For Both
Although he moved on to Braintree in the summer, Lucas Covolan holds a place in the hearts of both Gulls and Stones fans.
Lucas arrived at Plainmoor in 2019 from Worthing having impressed Gary Johnson on trial, having initially began his career in his home country of Brazil.
After arriving on UK shores in 2016 with Whitehawk, he played 23 games there, while also having a five match loan spell at Lewes. Worthing were his next port of call in 2017, and in a two year stay at the West Sussex club he made 59 appearances, before moving to the English Riviera in 2019 upon that successful trial with the Club.
The Brazilian shared the goalkeeping duties with Shaun MacDonald in his time at Plainmoor, but will always be fondly remembered for scoring THAT goal in the Play-Off Final against Hartlepool in 2021, prior to also saving two of the penalties in the resulting shoot out. Of course, it just wasn’t to be United’s fairytale ending, with Lucas moving on to fulfil his EFL ambitions with Port Vale.
A loan switch to Chesterfield followed, before a year-long spell at Maidstone, including that memorable afternoon at Portman Road.
Player To Watch
Sam Corne’s senior career started with Welling United in 2013 and after four seasons at Park View Road, he signed for Braintree Town and worked under former Stones boss Hakan Hayrettin.
During his time at Welling he got an England C call-up and attracted interest from league clubs.
Prior to signing at the Gallagher, he played for Greenwich Borough and Ashford United – scoring 21 goals in 40 games for the Nuts & Bolts – while focusing on his football coaching qualifications.
‘Corney’ made his Maidstone United debut on the opening day of the 2019/20 season and has clocked up more than 100 appearances since. He was a key figure in the club’s 2021/22 championship-winning season, as well as last season’s FA Cup run with goals against Barrow, Stevenage and Ipswich Town.
Previous Encounter
Torquay United 1 – 0 Maidstone United | National League | Saturday 28th January 2023
There’s no doubt about it, United’s record against The Stones is not good to say the least.
A single Aaron Jarvis goal was enough to see United take all three points against Maidstone United at Plainmoor in January 2023, as both sides battled it out – ultimately unsuccessfully to salvage their fifth-tier status.
A tense encounter between two sides desperately striving for a crucial victory was eventually settled in the closing stages, as as leading scorer Jarvis fired home in the 79th minute to seal victory for the Gulls – and it remains the only time United have down Maidstone’s colours in eleven outings.