Maidstone got their tactics spot on to book a National League South play-off place at the first attempt.

United knew they’d be assured of a top-seven finish if they won at in-form Farnborough on Saturday.

That would be no easy task against a side who’d won seven games on the spin but Maidstone were determined to get the job done at the first time of asking.

They didn’t disappoint, with defender Raphe Brown’s second-half header earning the 1-0 victory that got them over the line with three games to spare.

“Coming to an in-form Farnborough, we knew this was the game that if we won, they’ve got no chance of catching us,” said manager George Elokobi. “It was important we looked at it that way.

“That’s a pressure our squad love to be under.

“They embrace that pressure and drive those standards.

“They wanted to do everything to win today and make sure we can go into the other games a little bit relaxed knowing the play-offs have been secured.

“Yes, we want to win every game but it gives us a chance to just enjoy it a little bit while still being as professional as we can.”

Key to victory would be dealing with a barrage of Boro long throws while also stopping them from playing.

The hosts sat outside the play-offs on goal difference following their phenomenal run.

But they were barely given a sniff and can no longer catch fourth-placed Maidstone.

Elokobi said: “As a defender, you always like to keep a clean sheet away from home because it gives you a solid base to build from.

“It’s about making sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities but also knowing the opposition and their strengths and limitations.

“We knew a big part of it was going to be restarts.

Report: Farnborough 0-1 Maidstone

“That was going to eat up a lot of time in terms of taking long throws.

“We had to get our helmets on and be organised and make sure tactically we set the players up in a way to deny them spaces in and around our goalkeeper and give him that protection.

“It was also about attacking the ball, winning the first and second phases.

“They can also pass the ball and that’s another thing we analysed and worked on in training.

“If you stay compact and force them wide, then they can’t play through us, they have to play around us.

“We’ve nullified their strengths and imposed ours on them and I thought we did that in bundles.”

Brown’s winner was his first goal of the season.

He went close with a header early on - denied by a fine Jack Turner save - but there was no stopping his 77th-minute effort from Sam Corne’s corner.

Elokoki said: “I said to him at half-time you’ve come really close, you look like the one that might unlock that padlock for us today and he’s gone and done that.

“It’s a great header. In my opinion, he was man-of-the-match for us so well done, Raphe.”