Maidstone United manager George Elokobi reacts to their 2-0 National League South derby success at Dover Athletic, praising team’s ‘outstanding’ game management

Manager George Elokobi hailed Maidstone’s "outstanding" game management after their victory at Dover on Easter Friday.

The Stones completed the derby double over Jake Leberl’s troops, having beaten them 1-0 at the Gallagher Stadium on Boxing Day, as it finished 2-0 at Crabble to boost their hopes of a play-off finish.

Maidstone held a half-time advantage and, while Whites had as many as four players up front in the latter stages, the visitors rarely looked under too much consistent pressure.

“The discipline is there at home where we have managed to find the right balance,” said Elokobi, whose ninth-placed men have won five successive home games and seven of their past nine fixtures.

“Away from home, we’re making sure we’re not panicking if we don’t win the first contact or the first aerial duel.

“It becomes about ‘Can we rely on the second contact?’. At times - and you saw it - it had to be the third phase and it had to be the fourth phase.

“But also, we needed to show that composure on the transition to ensure we landed on the first pass. We did that superbly on Friday.

“In the second half, we created two or three one-versus-one moments and, on another day, it could have been a greater lead. But when we're countering on the transition, we need to make sure that we have the right defensive structure by being organised.

“I thought the defensive unit was outstanding in organising the midfield players in front of them - and the wide players supplemented that. They supported on the transition, as well, making sure we were back, tackling, landing on things and forcing Dover to play in areas that they didn’t want to.

“That’s what pleased us in terms of our compactness and in terms of keeping them to one side, and making sure