Caretaker boss George Elokobi hopes Maidstone are slowly building some momentum after back-to-back draws.

There was nothing to separate the bottom National League sides on Tuesday as Scunthorpe cancelled out a deflected effort by utility player Sam Bone, his first for the club.

Maidstone remain without a league victory since November, are nine points from safety and have played more league fixtures than their relegation rivals. But they have at least earned successive 1-1 draws after Josh Shonibare's first club goal earned them a weekend point against Gateshead.

Asked if it had been a must-win match for the Stones, Elokobi replied: “No.

“We approach every game to win but you can look at it today as two games unbeaten. Sometimes, it does take that to build a bit of momentum.

“The boys have come out today and given us every bit of quality they have. They fought for this football club from the first minute until the very, very last minute.”

Bone put them ahead at the Gallagher Stadium but away skipper Jacob Butterfield took less than 90 second-half seconds to equalise.

• Report: Maidstone 1-1 Scunthorpe

Both sides did push for a winner in the latter stages but could not find one and the result does little to help either outfits' survival hopes.

Elokobi added: “Games are not won in 45 minutes. Games are won in the full 90 - or the full 100 minutes - because sometimes, you get 100 minutes now.

“We understood the job at hand. We knew they were going to come at us and it was up to us to try and keep that lead but, also, to try and get that second goal, for our security. But that wasn’t to be tonight.

“Fair play to Scunthorpe for getting an early goal [in the second half] but we didn’t lay down then. We kept battling and showed qualities at times.

“We created some chances. It was just missing a bit of quality to finish the game off.”

Elokobi also praised Tushaun Tyreece-Walters who impressed in an unfamiliar left-back role on his first National League start after he recently returned from a loan spell at Isthmian Premier Herne Bay.

“Tushaun had a good game,” the Cameroonian noted. “He has been waiting for a while and I just told him to be patient.

“But this is the environment that we have created at Maidstone United Football Club, where everyone who is signed to Maidstone United - including the Academy players - we’re not scared to bring them and unleash them on this football pitch so they can express themselves.

“Why? Because we as a management team and as a coaching staff, we’re preparing the boys behind-the-scenes and making sure that they are comfortable being out here.

“It doesn’t matter if they are a first-team player or an Academy player, they’re very, very comfortable within the environment and that’s key, going forward.”

The Stones visit Solihull Moors this Saturday before a trip to Wealdstone on Tuesday.

Their next encounter at the Gallagher Stadium will be an FA Trophy Quarter-Final against league rivals Barnet but Elokobi is refusing to look that far ahead.

He said: “We look forward to Solihull Moors, that’s the next game.

“We won’t talk about the FA Trophy.”