Emotional Hakan Hayrettin paid tribute to George Elokobi after Maidstone’s club captain bowed out in style.

Elokobi marked the final match of his 19-year career with a lovely goal as the champions beat Hampton & Richmond 2-1 in the final game of the National South season.

The former Wolves defender, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, left the field to a guard of honour before lifting the trophy with Gavin Hoyte as Maidstone ended the season with 87 points - six clear of runners-up Dorking.

It was the perfect way for the 36-year-old - making his first start in more than six months - to finish.

“I was a bit choked because I’ve known George for a long time,” said manager Hayrettin.

“When I first brought George to this club I said to him, ‘George, we’ve got to do this together,’ and we did it.

“I got a bit emotional in the changing room before the game saying I want this for George, as much as myself, and I’m so pleased for him that he scored on the last day of the season.

“He wanted to come off in the 73rd minute, because he wears the No.3, we did that for him and he got a bit upset, a bit tearful when he hugged me.

“I’m ever grateful to say he’s my friend and long may it continue.

• Report: Maidstone 2-1 Hampton

“He scored a great goal, a hell of a goal. I’m overly proud of him.

“His career’s been amazing. Nineteen long years of good football, he’s played at the top level, and he’s here with us and the people of Maidstone should be humbled that he’s here with us.

“He’s added so much to what I’ve done. He’s been amazing.”

The pressure was off Maidstone after winning the title against Chelmsford a week ago.

But after losing at Welling on Bank Holiday Monday, Hayrettin was desperate to finish on a win for the record crowd of 4,175 at the Gallagher Stadium.

Jerome Binnom-Williams, who collected the players’ player-of-the-year award, saw to that with a late header after Elokobi’s opener was cancelled out before half-time.

“The process is over now,” said Hayrettin, who told his players at Christmas they would win the league.

“The most important thing was we got the three points for the supporters and for the club. It’s an amazing feeling.

“I’m overly proud of everybody connected, my players, my staff, they’ve all worked tirelessly hard.

“This is my seventh championship, not my first, let’s remind people of that.

“Four as a player and three as a coach and a manager, and I know what it takes, I can see the signs.

“I’ve been in the changing room, I can smell it and I smelt it at Christmas and I told them after the Tonbridge game on Boxing Day, I said now we’re in championship race and we’ve got to win it, and we’re going to win it.

“But, I said to them, we’ve got to work hard. Without that, it’s not going to be possible, and that’s what we did.

“We overpowered teams, we got stronger as the games went on, and I’m a great believer in work rate and that’s what they gave me, more so than anything else. It’s not been easy.

“We did it with people like Reece Grant missing, Jack Barham missing, Joe Ellul, George Elokobi, and I probably used the least amount of players in the league to do it, because I trusted in the players and I trusted in the process.

“I trusted in what I was doing, what me and Terry Harris, my No.2, were doing.

“I’ve won seven leagues and he’s probably won more than that, but this one is sweet.

“I’ve pushed the players, I’ve got them to understand this is the toughest league you’ve got to win, because you’ve got one team going up automatically and the rest is pure luck if you end up in the play-offs.”

Joan Luque, United’s 22-goal top scorer, took the manager’s player-of-the-year award, while centre-half Joe Ellul won the supporters’ vote.