Maidstone boss George Elokobi rates Alexis Andre Jr as the best goalkeeper in National League South.

Andre Jr kept his 20th clean sheet of the league campaign in the Stones’ 3-0 victory at Hampton & Richmond on Saturday.

The Frenchman, who was with Woking last season, has filled the void left by Lucas Covolan’s departure, becoming a big favourite in his own right.

“Alexis has been tremendous this season,” said Elokobi.

“When he came in, I said he was going to do well for us and, in my opinion, he’s the best goalkeeper in this league.

“His performances have been brilliant behind the defensive line.

“Let’s not forget, Alexis was a National League goalkeeper when he signed for us and he could have signed for a National League club.

“But I’ve lured him into the club, I’ve got the deal over the line and he understood what was required at Maidstone.

“He wanted a challenge and I challenged him.

“I said, as a keeper, you’ve not managed to play a whole season, there’s a chance here at Maidstone but I’m not going to allow you to relax.

“Credit goes to Zach Foster-Crouch (head of recruitment and goalkeeper coach) as well, who works with Alexis, and also, let’s not forget, Lenny Holden (No.2 goalkeeper).

“Huge credit to Lenny, he’s pushing Alexis all the way because Lenny is ready to play, but Alexis has been doing excellently and he’s also helped Lenny in terms of his development.”

Andre Jr is known away from football as a social media personality, building up millions of followers on TikTok, and last year he won French reality TV show Secret Story.

But football is his first love and he’s been laser-focused on Maidstone’s promotion challenge.

“Alexis takes his job very seriously,” said Elokobi.

“I know people might have thought about him doing lots of stuff off the pitch, but you need to see him when he works.

“He’s someone that owns it, there’s ownership when he’s training, he wants to improve and he’s honest about his work.

“It’s not just out on the pitch, it’s in the gym as well, he’s always doing extras, always staying back and making sure he does his stuff and that’s respect to the football club, that’s respect to his team-mates, the structure that we’ve got here, and it can only benefit the team and Alexis.

“When you come into Maidstone and you had a goalkeeper like Lucas Covolan, with his status and what he did for us last season, then there’s a challenge and he’s risen to it.

“He’s made some massive saves for us, world-class saves, to keep us in games and win us games.

“The boys are quite comfortable knowing, at any moment, if our defensive line is broken, Alexis is going to stand firm.

“He’s proven that on numerous occasions and long may it continue.

“The most important thing is Alexis is enjoying his football and it’s about managing him as well.

“This is the first time he’s played a full season and we’ve had to manage him right to ensure we give him a couple of days off to recover at times because it’s relentless.”

Maidstone boast the best defensive record in National League South, conceding just 32 goals in 40 games.

That’s 19 fewer than leaders Worthing, showing how strong Elokobi’s men have been at the back.

While Andre Jr is the last line of defence, it’s also been a team effort to keep the goals out.

“The entire squad deserve credit, no matter what personnel goes out on the pitch,” said Elokobi.

“A lot of work goes on behind the scenes and they’ve been tremendous in terms of taking in information and applying it on the pitch and at training.

“When they do make mistakes they’re hurting because they take pride in what they do and they demand these standards.

“It doesn’t matter what system we’ve played, everyone understands their roles and responsibilities.

“It’s them running a little bit more for the team and throwing their bodies on the line, where it hurts, heading things out, hooking things out of the box, just making sure as a team if you don’t concede then you don’t lose games.”