George Elokobi hailed his young players after their starring role in Maidstone’s opening-day victory.

Defender Sam Smith, 20, excelled on his first National League South start as Maidstone won 1-0 at St Albans on Saturday.

He was calm and assured in the back three and looked as though he’d been playing at the level for years.

Midfielder Riley Court, 18, joined the action as a first-half substitute for injured right-wing-back Charlie Seaman.

The teenager, who made his league breakthrough last season, impressed with an energetic display in an unfamiliar role.

Smith first played for Maidstone at under-23 level while Court came through the academy at his hometown club after being released by Premier League Chelsea.

Stones boss Elokobi is committed to giving youth a chance and believes the pair are special talents.

He said: “I’ve always said at Maidstone United there’s a pathway to the first team - and we mean that.

“Those performances from Sam Smith and Riley Court were very mature and the reason for that is because they do things right, so it’s all credit to the individuals.

“They leave no stone unturned.

“They want to learn, they listen, they try to ask questions and they just get on with it.

“Their work ethic is incredible and they’ve got unique technical footballing abilities.

“It’s for us, the management team, to be able to develop that and give them the freedom to go and perform.

“We know they are going to make mistakes. Is it going to be costly? It could be but you have to keep encouraging these players because we know at some stage they will get it.

“They have been with us for about a season and they’re not here for the numbers, they’re here because they deserve to be here and they add so much value to the squad.

“We’ll keep protecting them and making sure they enjoy being around the environment and playing the way they did.

“Credit to the senior players for looking after the younger players but also credit to our football club because this is what we’ve brought to the forefront, to make sure we encourage youth and encourage academy players.

“If they’re able to train with the first team on a regular basis then I as the manager have no problem playing them in a competitive match because we know the work we do behind the scenes.

“They understand this and it’s important we give them the opportunities to show what they can do.”

Maidstone play Truro City in their first home match of the season on Saturday (3pm) and face Hampton & Richmond on Tuesday (7.45pm).

Elokobi has welcomed new rules that allow clubs to bring on all five substitutes rather than three.

He made four changes at St Albans - goalkeeper Lenny Holden the only unused player.

“You can bring on all five whenever you want,” said Elokobi.

“This was spoken about at the managers’ meeting and I think it’s fantastic for looking after the players’ welfare and to give players opportunities.

“Some managers might use it for tactical gains and some might use it for the right reasons but you’ve got to be respectful.

“It might be a game plan, everyone has got their strategy on how they do things.

“But for us, we look at it as a fantastic chance to make sure we give players opportunities if they’re not starting because they can be the match-winners for us.

“It’s not the starters, it’s the players on the bench that will come on and impact the game in a positive way and it’s important we look at it.

“It’s a step in the right direction for myself.

“The clubs voted and I was one for that because last season we played 62 games and the turnover was crazy in terms of games coming every three days at times and it puts the players’ welfare at risk.

“We haven’t got the finances or the budget where we stay at hotels overnight to make sure the players get sufficient rest.

“Most of us in the National League levels go by coach on the day so we have to protect the welfare of our players.

“Credit to the National League board for implementing this rule.”