Boss George Elokobi was pleased with the amount of unselfish work on display from Maidstone’s players as they earned their first home league win this season on Saturday.

The Stones battled to a hard-fought 1-0 National League South victory at the Gallagher Stadium against play-off occupants Hemel Hempstead Town through loanee midfielder Jon Benton’s first-half goal.

Maidstone earned their first home league win this term at the seventh attempt despite naming a reshuffled backline, with George Fowler ill and Raphe Brown also absent.

“I don’t want to single out any players,” said Elokobi, who saw his side extend sixth-placed Hemel’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions. “All credit to the squad, including the ones that weren’t involved today.

“To win a football match, especially here at the Gallagher, it has to take the entire squad - in terms of being resilient, in terms of the small details and in terms of the selfless work for the team - and we saw plenty of that.

“Credit to Hemel. I think Bobby (Wilkinson, their manager) is doing a fantastic job and they have had a flying start to the season.

“So we knew what we were coming up against from the scouting reports and having analysed all their strengths and weaknesses. But also, in terms of their restarts - long throws, corner kicks and free-kicks - ensuring we give extra little detail to our group of players.

Report: Maidstone 1-0 Hemel Hempstead Town

“We have been working on that throughout the week. It’s been a fantastic week of preparation.

“That’s all respect that we have paid to Hemel because they’re a good side. They pose you problems you need to solve and you need to solve them in key moments in the game.

“I thought our group of players were fantastic in their game management.”

Elokobi revealed Fowler had been due to start against the Tudors - only to pull out on the morning of the game.

“George Fowler was ready and was going to be starting today,” explained the Stones manager. “But I got a phone call at 9am to say he had been ill all night so I had to make a quick call.

“That’s why you have got to have your plan A, plan B and your plan C going into games because, as a manager, sometimes, there’s unforeseen circumstances you have to suffer.”

Maidstone’s first league victory of the campaign came after three draws and three losses in the league at the Gallagher Stadium.

Elokobi noted: “We have been getting closer in the last seven weeks or so. Our group of players have been working ever so hard.

“We told them as a management team, after the disappointments that we have had in the home games where we have got really close to the finish line in terms of getting three points, that it was coming despite the knock-backs.

“It’s not been a lack of effort, it’s not been a lack of creativity, [because] we’re creating a lot of chances.

“It’s just about being clinical in the right moments and being ruthless in both boxes.”

Kent Senior Cup holders Maidstone are at rivals Welling in the second round before next weekend’s FA Cup first-round trip to promotion-chasing National League side Solihull Moors.