Gavin Hoyte and retiring club captain George Elokobi will lift the National South trophy together on a day of celebration at Maidstone.

A sell-out crowd of 4,175 will be at the Gallagher on Saturday to see United presented with the trophy after the final game of the season against Hampton & Richmond.

Hoyte has skippered the side for most of the season in the absence of Elokobi, who’s played only once in the league since suffering a serious groin injury last October.

Elokobi, who this week announced his retirement, aged 36, has remained a big influence behind the scenes and manager Hakan Hayrettin has decided both men should collect the championship.

“I’ve told them I want them to pick up the trophy together,” said Hayrettin, whose side clinched the title last weekend courtesy of a 3-1 win over Chelmsford, coupled with Dorking’s 1-0 defeat at St Albans.

“In George’s absence, Gavin has done an unbelievable job as captain, and been ever-present for us, and George is a mentor of the changing room. It’s right they do it together.”

That suits Hoyte, who, at 31, has achieved his ambition to win a league title after a long career that started at Arsenal and included spells at the likes of Watford and Gillingham.

He considered retirement after an unhappy spell at Dagenham but a call from Hayrettin in the summer of 2019 brought him to Maidstone and the rest is history.

The defender can’t wait for the moment he and Elokobi get their hands on the trophy.

“George has been amazing for me as club captain,” said Hoyte.

“He’s always been there for me, no matter what, I couldn’t have had a better person to help me this season.

"I’ve imagined collecting that trophy every night since we won the league. I can’t sleep at the minute, it’s crazy.

“I’ve always wanted to win a league. I didn’t want to finish my career without doing that and we’ve done it, so it’s amazing. Not everyone gets to do that. It’s going to be a great day.

“I’ve been here three years and Hak’s been amazing for me.

“Just before I came here, I was actually contemplating whether to carry on playing football.

“I had probably the worst time in football at Dagenham but I’ve come here and loved every minute of it.

“The fans have been great, the management have been great, all the staff, it feels like home here.”

Hoyte doesn’t want to stand still in the National League next season, should he be offered a new contract.

In a field packed with big ex-Football League clubs, Sutton have shown what’s possible.

Promoted along with Maidstone to non-league’s top flight in 2016, while the Stones were relegated after three years, the U’s stunned the big boys by winning the division last season.

This season, they reached the Football League Trophy final at Wembley and still have a chance of making the League 2 play-offs this weekend.

“First of all you want to stay up but who says you can’t do what Sutton have done?” said Hoyte.

“You don’t just want to be one of those teams making up the numbers, we want to be pushing and take every game as it comes, like this year, and you never know where it takes us.

“I watched Robbie Simpson’s interview, the Chelmsford manager, talking about how together we are as a team, the fans are together, the staff are together, and he said when you get that it’s unstoppable.

“If we carry that on, who says we can’t be unstoppable in the league above?

“We showed against Boreham Wood in the FA Trophy what we can do (taking them to penalties after a 1-1 draw) and a couple of years ago we beat Torquay in the FA Cup, so we can do it if everyone believes it.

“It’s going to be a big task, everyone’s got to step up their levels, but why not?”