George Elokobi believes Maidstone’s FA Trophy victory at Notts County could be the start of something.

Elokobi tasted victory in his first match as caretaker boss as United beat the National League leaders 6-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in Sunday’s Fourth-Round tie at Meadow Lane.

It provided a much-needed lift for a side who had won just three of their previous 24 games in all competitions, costing manager Hakan Hayrettin his job.

Elokobi remains in charge this Saturday when Maidstone, three points from safety, return to league action against second-placed Wrexham in an all-ticket fixture at the Gallagher Stadium (3pm).

United lost the early-season meeting 5-0 in front of the Welsh club’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and face a big task to get anything out of the return.

But spirits are high after the Trophy win and Maidstone will be ready.

“Is this the start of something?” said Elokobi. “I know for sure that it could be.

“We know how good this squad can be. When I say we, I’m talking about myself and my staff, and the players know how good we can be because we’ve proved that in the past.

“We’ve got to prove it now going forward. Hopefully this is the start of something.

“We’ve put a bit of a structure in place.

“It’s not going to bed in straight away but hopefully the players have bought into it and we’re going to carry on working on the team structure as we go along.

“Every day, we are at the training ground to improve and understand the strategies that we need to implement in games.

“We can get something against Wrexham. We’re going to prepare and my analyst team, my scouting team and the media team will give me all the information that’s going to help us prepare in the right way.

“We know how good Wrexham can be on their day.

“That was then - 5-0 at Wrexham - but we’ll look to nullify their strengths and hopefully we will come up with a game plan that will help us compete.

“It’s all about on the day. You can give all the tactical points and send them out but it is all about the squad that is present on the pitch to contribute."

Maidstone turned to Elokobi, their former skipper, after sacking Hayrettin on Monday last week.

The 36-year-old has been working with the club’s academy and was the logical choice to step up as the club consider their options.

There were a few nerves before Notts County but Elokobi has great belief in his ability.

“The club called me and asked me to oversee these players, to try and get them believing in themselves again,” said the former Wolves left-back.

“If there’s one man that can do that, it’s the man that is speaking.

“But it’s not about me, it’s a collaboration of the staff and players and everyone at the club.

“You need a team around you and everyone contributes in their own way behind the scenes and that’s what makes it good.

“I was a little bit nervous when I woke up on Sunday - for the first time - but that’s good. When you’re nervous that means you’re ready.

“But when I left home and got on the coach, I saw lots of smiley faces and that comes back to belief.

“The players were ready. We told them to trust in each other. We told them to be resilient. We told them to do it as a team.

"One team. One group. That’s exactly what they’ve done and all praise goes to the team.”

Elokobi enjoyed a stellar playing career, reaching the Premier League with Wolves under Mick McCarthy.

He stayed tight-lipped on whether he’d spoken to his old boss for guidance but it’s clear Elokobi is enjoying the challenge of helping Maidstone, who host Aldershot on Tuesday (7.45pm), get back on their feet.

Asked if he’d been in touch with McCarthy, Elokobi said: “I can’t tell you that. I can’t give you my secrets.

“I’m still very much learning and getting used to this caretaker role. Hopefully every day, every week, I’ll get better. I’m learning something new every single day.

“Since the club asked me to come in, I’ve learned so much, which can only help me going forward.

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“In management you get to make decisions, and you make good decisions and bad decisions.

“Ultimately, if the result is positive it boils down to your decisions and if the result is negative it boils down to your decisions. That’s just how management is.”

Today is the last chance to buy tickets for Maidstone v Wrexham. They are on sale at the Gallagher from 9.30am-2pm.

Prices are: £19 adults, £15 OAPs/students with valid ID, £9 11-16-year-olds and £3 juniors. There will be no pay-on-the-day admission.