Maidstone United manager George Elokobi praises the impact of assistant boss Craig Fagan after 3-2 comeback victory at Weymouth
Published: 08:11, 03 September 2023
Updated: 14:29, 05 September 2023
Manager George Elokobi revealed the secret behind Maidstone’s clinical finishing in their comeback win at Weymouth.
United’s attacking players have been doing extra sessions with assistant boss and ex-Premier League forward Craig Fagan.
And how it showed in Dorset as the visitors twice came from a goal down to win 3-2 at the Bob Lucas Stadium.
In-form Levi Amantchi took his tally for the season to four with a pair of headers from Lamar Reynolds and Liam Sole crosses.
Another cross, this time from Raphe Brown, was met by Sole for the winner, as United moved up to seventh in National League South.
Maidstone made all three goals look simple by being in the right place at the right time - a result of the work they’ve been doing with Fagan.
“A massive credit to Craig Fagan for the work he puts in with our attacking players,” said Stones boss Elokobi.
“He knows that role emphatically and he helps our attacking players and our midfield players ever so much doing extra training, extra finishing sessions, to give them that positional sense where the ball is going to fall when they are in and around the 18-yard box or the six-yard box.
“It’s good to see Levi full of confidence, taking on board what Craig has been working on, and we’ve seen Liam Sole make a fantastic run for his goal.
“Craig is a massive help to me because we’re beginning to see how our attacking players are operating - and there’s plenty more to come.”
Elokobi made his name at left-back while Fagan, his former Colchester team-mate, played up top for the likes of Hull, Derby and Bradford.
So when it came to working out roles and responsibilities, Elokobi was determined to make the most of his No.2’s expertise.
“That’s why we complement each other,” said Elokobi.
“I’ve got knowledge of the attacking side of things but who better to learn from than an ex-Premier League striker who has played at all levels of the EFL and scored lots of goals in his career?
“Craig is very much involved in the coaching and we respect each other’s boundaries and make sure we have a good working relationship.
“It’s not that I can’t drip-feed other information to the forwards but this is his field and that’s why I was so happy when he decided to be with me and become my assistant manager on a permanent basis.”
George Fowler captained the side in the absence of injured duo Gavin Hoyte and Sam Corne.
Hoyte went for a scan on his knee on Friday while Corne has heavy bruising on his ribs.
To win without their captain and vice-captain was a major plus for Maidstone.
Report: Weymouth 2-3 Maidstone
Elokobi said: “It’s always disappointing when you lose two players out of a tight squad but the other leaders in the team have stepped up.
“The likes of George Fowler and Sam Bone have stepped up in terms of how they’ve managed the group and Raphe Brown is another one.
“I said when I made Gavin captain and Sam vice-captain that everyone is a captain because you don’t know when I’m going to give you the armband.
“I said you have to lead by example, you have to train like you are the captain every single day and when it comes to leading the team out, you have to perform. Everyone did that today.
“Gavin and Sam were big misses but we knew they were injured.
“Other players have been ready to step in and we’ve seen how important it is to make sure everyone feels part of the squad.
“We don’t know how long they’ll be out yet.
“Gavin went for a scan and we are waiting for the results on that.
“Sam is a quick healer so hopefully he’s not too bad but we didn’t want to take any risk in these next two games.
“There’s a lot of bruising in there and he can’t really swing, which you need to be able to do when you’re passing the ball.
“We’ve got to let that heal and make sure we don’t rush him back.”
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Craig Tucker