Maidstone United manager George Elokobi says his players did themselves proud in battling draw at Hampton & Richmond

Maidstone manager George Elokobi was satisfied with a point at Hampton & Richmond on Saturday.

Elokobi expected a battle and wasn’t disappointed as United left the Beveree with a goalless draw.

The result leaves them ninth in National League South at Christmas, three points outside the play-offs.

Both sides had their moments in an even game.

Maidstone perhaps shaded it but Hampton, with former Dartford manager Alan Dowson back in charge, played their part and could point to a couple of decent second-half chances.

“It’s always a difficult place,” said Elokobi.

“We set out to try to impose a positive game plan and I thought in the first half we had a couple of chances to have scored a goal, and it was begging for someone to be a little bit more confident.

“But we’re creating and it was important we try and manage the second half as well because you don’t want to open up too soon in terms of not being compact and then get done by a counter-attack.

“They’re sitting in a mid-low block and you have to be patient with the ball and find the right opening.

“Antony Papadopoulos came close, Dajon Golding came close and then you’re going, ‘you’ve got to stay in the game and keep chipping away’.

“But games like this, it’s always going to be scruffy, it’s always going to be a hard-earned battle, but the players did themselves proud. The only thing missing was a goal.

“However, it’s a point away from home, the positives are it’s another clean sheet and the team has done that, the squad has done that.”

Maidstone looked strong defensively against a Hampton side bidding to climb away from trouble under Dowson.

They largely took care of the hosts’ attacking threat but couldn’t make their openings count at the other end.

“We looked solid,”