Half an hour before training starts, Maidstone United manager George Elokobi pings cross-field passes to his assistant Craig Fagan. It’s just the two in the outfield, enjoying the quiet before work begins.
Elokobi becomes fixated on curling the ball with his left foot around the back of the net and back onto the pitch. He then launches the ball into the air and shouts “Five!” and counts down to exactly five seconds before the ball hits the ground. The timing is perfect. Of course it is. And that includes his smile when he takes it off three times in a row.
Elokobi, 37, was once a Premier League footballer, but this local Sunday League ground is far from the pinnacle of his playing career. He once scored at Old Trafford.
“Hello and welcome to the real world,” he told Mail Sport. ‘Tell me, how could you ever not love this beautiful game? Between us – he (Fagan – also a former Premier League player) trains the attacking players and I can blow-dry the defenders, so we make a good combination,” Elokobi jokes. It’s time for work.
It’s matchday minus two, before the biggest game in Maidstone history. On Saturday the Stones will play in front of almost 30,000 fans at Portman Road, 4,500 of whom will travel to East Anglia for a match against a side 98 places higher.
Maidstone boss George Elokobi prepares his side for an FA Cup fourth round clash with Ipswich in Saturday’s early kick-off
The ex-Premier League star has been training his side at a local ground ahead of an FA Cup tie, where his side look to cause an upset
Elokobi wanted his players to train on grass ahead of the match with the Championship team instead of on their artificial turf
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Maidstone is the only English team that is not from the Premier League or Championship and is in the last 32 of the cup. Their average attendance at Gallagher Stadium is just under 2,000, but their Saturday allocation sold out within two hours.
The Stones usually train on artificial grass at the Gallagher, but Elokobi wants to train on grass ahead of their big day, so Mail Sport hops on the team minibus with all the equipment for the ten-minute drive across town.
“This is our theater, so we have to make it special for the players, because football should always be a hobby,” says Elokobi, holding out the cones.
Despite having played more than 300 professional games in England, scoring in every division from the Premier League to the National League and now just over a year into his first managerial role, he insists that football should never be a job .
When the players emerge, defender Sam Bone’s new turquoise boots stand out. Elokobi sees it immediately and there is applause.
“This game is the biggest of all our careers. We have to enjoy it, so I got these (boots) for the game,” Bone admitted. ‘I’ve even been watching cup matches on YouTube in recent weeks!’
The session is about to start when, to everyone’s delight, a man in a red jacket jogs out from the parking lot. Elokobi says it must be dress-up day.
It is Manny Duku – a last-minute signing from Gibraltar – who only received his international clearance on Tuesday.
Maidstone is the only English team in the tournament outside the Premier League and Championship in the last 32
Elokobi emphasizes that football should remain a hobby and wants his players to enjoy this great event
The match against Ipswich – who are second in the Championship – will be the biggest of many players’ careers
Duku thought the training was at the Gallagher and with a three-way cup win he could be in contention today. Welcome to non-league.
For 17-year-old Riley Court, who grew up in the neighborhood, it all feels surreal. In one exercise, Elokobi Court talks about ‘ghost training’ and the art of visualizing the opposition around you. More than 20 of Court’s family members will be on Portman Road. ‘It will be mental, he says. “I’ll probably drop a few rocks on the way out!” But credit to George for throwing me in at the deep end.”
One of many local stories involves Jamie Hemsley – a university student and youth fan who will be in the dugout on Sunday as part of an internship on the sports science team.
As for George Fowler – one of four Maidstone players to have played in all six FA Cup matches this season – the match represents an interesting proposition, as someone who has come through the ranks at Ipswich. “It was a bit of a catch-22 as most of my family and friends lived in that area,” the centre-back admits.
Fowler, like most of the squad, is a semi-full-time player and supplements his income by coaching football at Maidstone’s academy. Some have a separate business, others deliver in their spare time.
Captain Gavin Hoyte, who once played a Premier League game for Arsenal, emphasizes how ‘special’ it will be to lead the team out. ‘One of the highlights of my career, without a doubt.’
During training the emphasis is on form, with Elokobi and Fagan getting stuck. ‘George doesn’t shy away from a tackle. They enjoy being involved,” Fowler said.
“We’re going to get f***king punished on Saturday,” Elokobi shouts repeatedly, whenever the team loses the form he wants. He knows the odds are against them. But they were stacked when they came up against League Two’s Barrow and League One’s Stevenage.
Maidstone’s squad includes Gavin Hoyte, who once played a Premier League match for Arsenal during the 2008-09 season
Elokobi has stressed that the non-league side must maintain their form against Ipswich
The majority of the squad consists of semi-full-time players, who supplement their income in other roles
Elokobi admits Maidstone’s historic appearance in the fourth round of the FA Cup has made him emotional
After both victories there were tears, but the faith has always existed.
‘This cup match is historic. It makes me emotional. I am the first Cameroonian to manage an English football club, so my message to my players is always that you can do it,” Elokobi said.
Training ends and Elokobi empties his pockets, pretending to remove midfielder Jephte Tanga.
“He’s quite skilled and says in big words, ‘Oh, I’m going to get you training,’ but I have him in my pocket,” jokes Elokobi.
A press conference has been called in the Gallagher bar – the first of its kind on the ground and for 35 minutes Elokobi, Fagan, Hoyte and Sam Corne talk to the media. “This one really is the magic of the cup,” says Fagan.
Clichés like ‘treat it like any other game’ are mentioned, but the truth is that everyone associated with Maidstone has been dreaming since the draw took place.
“I’ve been to almost 2,000 of our games and it’s emotional to see how this one has taken the city by storm,” said caretaker and volunteer Barry Fenn, who has followed the club for 66 years.
“When the boys come out on Saturday it will overshadow everything. I will be in tears. We need a miracle, but I want everyone to do it for George, because he puts his heart and soul into our club. Come half past two on Saturday afternoon, win, draw or lose, they all remain our heroes.’
