Maidstone United manager George Elokobi says 19-game winless National League run last season wasn’t a weight on his shoulders

Maidstone boss George Elokobi insisted the long wait for a first league win in charge wasn’t proving a burden.

The former Wolves defender is in his first managerial role but failed to register a win in 19 league games during the second half of last season in the National League.

But any danger of that run extending into the new season was quickly ended on the opening day when Maidstone came from behind to beat Slough at the Gallagher last Saturday.

“It's not really been hanging over on me, I knew what job I took here and I trust our process,” said Elokobi.

“I said give me a chance to be able to get some players in and try to add to the quality that we already have here. It’s a football match, a new season, new beginnings.

“Yes, we’ve learnt from the past and it’s important going forward that we nullify those mistakes that we made.

“On another day last season, we could have lost this game so it’s shown that’s one step in the right direction for us as a football club. It’s nine months since we won a league game, we need to look at those little steps.

“It's not even the satisfaction. We take it one game at a time, if we win that’s good for us as a football club, if we draw then we look at what was not quite right and if we lose then, as a management team, we try to help our players tactically to ensure we develop them and stay together.”

It could have been argued that the weekend was effectively the start of Elokobi’s tenure in charge.

That’s not a viewpoint shared by the Stones boss, who has clearly learned plenty from his opening months in the dugout.

“Everyone has their own opinion,” explained Elokobi. “I’ve got mine which I won’t share but it’s about building and developing, it’s about the lessons learnt.

“I’ve always