George Elokobi believes he’d have been right up Neil Warnock’s street in his playing days.

The pair are set to meet tonight when Maidstone boss Elokobi takes his side to Torquay, where Warnock holds the role of football advisor under the Gulls’ new owners.

Warnock, 75, won a record eight promotions during a management career spanning more than 1,600 games, including leading Notts County, Sheffield United, QPR and Cardiff City to the top flight.

He also managed the likes of Plymouth, Huddersfield and Crystal Palace before retiring after a short spell at Scottish club Aberdeen last season.

Elokobi, who reached the Premier League with Wolves and also played for Colchester, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, never played under Warnock.

But the former defender is convinced he’s the sort of character the veteran manager would have welcomed in his ranks.

Warnock loved players who gave everything for the cause and Elokobi certainly fell into that bracket as a wholehearted left-back.

“I’ve always respected Neil Warnock,” said Elokobi.

“He’s a sterling name in football, a great manager who’s won lots of things and you always have to respect that.

“When you’re coming up against a Neil Warnock side, you know what you’re going to be getting.

“He’s a fantastic man that’s gone about his business and won many promotions and saved a lot of clubs from relegation.

“It’s important you respect individuals like that because there aren’t a lot of them left in football.

“It’ll be nice to see him and shake his hand.

“I’ve played against his teams a lot in my time and it was always a difficult encounter but one that I thoroughly enjoyed because I loved those challenges.

“I don’t know him well but I’m sure at some stage in his management career my name must have come on the table, probably when I was young, to be signed because he loved my sort of character.

“He would’ve loved to have me in his team, definitely, and I know that for sure.

“There’s always been a mutual respect when I’ve come up against his team, win, draw or lose.

“That’s every manager’s dream, to have wholehearted players in your squad that will give you everything.

“Win, draw or lose, they don’t give up, they keep going, they are relentless, ruthless, resilient.

“Every single day you know what you’re getting with those characters because football is about that.

“Definitely, I’d have been one that Neil Warnock would have loved to have in his team but I’m sure he had a lot of quality players in his time so, hey ho, he never signed me, but that’s all right.”

Maidstone make the long trip to Devon in midweek having seen the original November 2 date postponed due to their FA Cup commitments.

United have an excellent record against the Gulls, including a league double and FA Cup victory last season.

Torquay are a different proposition now with a cloud lifted since the change of ownership and arrival of Paul Wotton as manager to replace Gary Johnson.

With Warnock on hand in the background, they’ve made a strong start to the National League South campaign, sitting sixth, five points off the top.

Maidstone sit 16th but are on a seven-match unbeaten run in the league.

The long midweek journey is no excuse not to perform, according to Elokobi.

“We make no complaints,” he said. “You can’t pick and choose when you play.

“We were in the FA Cup and we got to the first round proper and whatever fixture we had that day had to be postponed.

“We have to go to Torquay on a Tuesday night and it’s important we go there full of confidence but make sure we’re prepared for a tough test.

“Every game poses a different challenge and every season you come up against different personnel.

“We just have to respect their structure and what they’re going to throw at us and be ready to compete.

“Torquay are a good side, they’re a big club but we’re not playing the size of the club, we’re playing 11 v 11 and it’s important that on the day we look at what 11 we’re coming up against and who they’ve got on the bench and be ready to put in a good performance.”