George Elokobi praised a team effort after a “massive” clean sheet for Maidstone United.

The Stones ran the show at Chippenham, winning two 2-0 through first-half goals from Conor Kelly and Sol Wanjau-Smith.

Boss Elokobi has seen plenty of improvement in the early weeks of the season but a shut-out had proved elusive in the first eight games, with United conceding a number of avoidable goals.

They put that right in 30-degree heat at Hardenhuish Park on Saturday in a performance that denied the Bluebirds any sort of foothold.

Victory sent United back to eighth place in National League South, outside the play-off places on goal difference.

“It’s massive to get that clean sheet,” said Elokobi.

“A clean sheet always breeds confidence into the team, especially the defensive line, but the team as a whole defended really well.

“I thought the front two that started the game in Levi Amantchi and Sol Wanjau-Smith worked together really well and took on board what we’ve been asking them to do, being compact.

“We knew how Chippenham were going to set up in terms of them building their attack from the back but it was all about making sure we set traps and try to catch them out, which we did a couple of times.

“On another day there could have been more goals but we take the clean sheet.

“Defending starts from the front, especially against a good side that wants to build attacks from the back.

“It’s not just Levi and Sol, it was the players that were around them, away from them and also behind them.

“I thought the three centre-halves, George Fowler, Sam Bone and Raphe Brown, did a tremendous job to protect Lucas Covolan, which meant Lucas had limited touches of the ball.

“It’s very, very important we take our first clean sheet because it is massive.

“If you keep clean sheets, you give yourselves a huge chance to either get a draw from a game or get the three points.”

Maidstone had spoken about making the ball do the work and controlling the game in the sweltering heat.

They did that effectively although the temperatures were no barrier to opening goalscorer Kelly, who didn’t stop running all afternoon.

“This is his sort of weather,” said Elokobi of the 24-year-old, who has spent most of his life in America.

“We need to take the battery off him at times.

“This week, we’ve had to chase him out of the training pitch on Thursday to reserve his energy and we had to chase him out on Friday again to reserve his energy.

“He’s one we need to be careful with because of his energy.

“The boy can run, and credit to him.

Report: Chippenham 0-2 Maidstone

“His enthusiasm to want to win is second to none but then it’s about education, to use that energy constructively, pick the right times to do it and it was good for him to get that first goal as well.

“He’s been dying to do it, we know he can score goals and it’s good when he gets in those areas, he’s not scared to pull the trigger and have a shot on target.

“We’ve been saying if you get in the shooting areas, try and hit the target because you never know what might happen.

“It was good play from us to get the ball in the box and it was good to see him score.”