Maidstone United captain Jerome Binnom-Williams says caretaker boss George Elokobi is like a big brother to him

Skipper Jerome Binnom-Williams has spoken of his respect for caretaker boss George Elokobi as Maidstone look to build on their FA Trophy exploits.

Maidstone produced their best performance this season in a 4-0 win at Eastleigh last weekend, setting up a home Quarter-Final against Barnet next month.

They need to take that form into their National League survival bid, with a trip to relegation rivals Oldham next up this Saturday (3pm).

Caretaker boss Elokobi has got the players believing and they travel to Boundary Park in good spirits despite sitting eight points from safety at the foot of the table.

“George was our captain last year and he felt a like a gaffer to me then,” said Binnom-Williams.

“I always speak to him and it’s the same this year.

“I respect him as a man. I see him as a big brother to me.

“When he speaks, I have to listen to him. He doesn’t take any nonsense but he respects us, too.

“He respects us as players and if we have something to say, he’ll listen to us. He’ll have the final say, obviously, but he’ll still listen and see where can change things.

“We respect him and the boys are happy. He’s put smiles on a lot of the boys’ faces.

“He brings good energy, especially with Ryan Gordon as well.

“He said this is our life, we’ve got to enjoy it.

“You’re going to have bad days in football but if we keep working hard and playing with a smile and enjoying ourselves, how can you beat that? You can’t.

“He’s put a good team spirit in and we all want to do well and get out of the situation we’re in.

“It feels like we’re all taking responsibility.”

Binnom-Wiliams completed the scoring at Eastleigh with a cracking strike into the top corner.

It was his second goal in successive weeks following an injury-time