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Maidstone United captain George Elokobi facing fitness battle

06:00, 29 August 2019

George Elokobi has faith in his Maidstone team-mates to get the job done without him.

Elokobi suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury against Chelmsford on Monday and came off before half-time.

United conceded soon after but regrouped and completed a 4-1 victory in the second half.

Maidstone captain George Elokobi Picture: Steve Terrell
Maidstone captain George Elokobi Picture: Steve Terrell

Elokobi is unsure whether he'll be fit for Wealdstone this weekend but says no one is indispensable.

He said: "With two games in three days I've just pushed it a little bit far.

"I've been carrying the hamstring injury I suffered in the last home game and I didn't want to make it worse so I came off.

"My left hamstring was getting weaker and it's better to be out for a week or two rather than 10 or 12 weeks.

"As a professional I'm working with a great bunch of lads and I know we have capable replacements on the bench to come on or start.

"Lewis Knight came on for me and was excellent and that's what we want.

"Everyone's working hard to try and get a game.

"Some will have their chance sooner than others but it's a long season.

"I need to rest the hamstring for a couple of days and see how it reacts, then do some strengthening.

"We've had so many games in the first couple of weeks it's been difficult to get work done on my hamstrings.

"But it is what it is and the most important thing was to get the victory.

"No individual is indispensable.

"If I'm not playing I'll support from behind the scenes but at the same time I'll be kicking every ball."

Maidstone have gone five games unbeaten since starting the season with back-to-back defeats.

George Elokobi goes off injured against Chelmsford Picture: Steve Terrell (15843923)
George Elokobi goes off injured against Chelmsford Picture: Steve Terrell (15843923)

A first home win of the season has further fuelled fans' optimism and Elokobi wants to keep them smiling.

He said: "We want to be as close as possible to our supporters.

"They've been great with us since the start of pre-season.

"A lot of us are new to the club and we want to show the fans something different that they've not experienced last season.

"We want to show them that we win together, draw together and lose together.

"We want to go places.

"If it's possible to win every game so be it but we know it won't be like that.

"Sometimes you come unstuck but hopefully not.

"We're not getting carried away.

"We didn't start the season how we'd have liked but we're making progress and to be unbeaten in five games speaks volumes.

"We're going to enjoy the two wins and come back ready to work hard for Wealdstone on Saturday and look forward to the next game.

"The feeling of winning games is better. When you've got that train rolling you want to keep moving forward - you don't want it to stall.

"We will carry on working hard for each other and for this great football club and hopefully carry on getting victories."

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