More flaws get punished
George Elokobi saw the same old mistakes as Maidstone conceded their 100th league goal this season.
Notts County’s 5-2 win at the Gallagher Stadium on Saturday brought up a century in the goals-against column.
The manner of the defeat, with United fighting back from three down before crumbling again, left the manager bitterly disappointed.
Maidstone have gone 24 games - more than half a season - without a win, while Elokobi’s 18 matches in charge have produced only four points. Officially relegated three weeks ago, they’re 25 points adrift going into the final game of the season at Chesterfield this Saturday.
The Stones conceded a series of terrible goals as Notts went 30 up through Cedwyn Scott and a Jim O’Brien double.
Roarie Deacon and George Fowler - named supporters’
player-of-the-season before kick-off - got Maidstone back in the game and Notts were on the ropes for a spell.
It was good while it lasted but United shot themselves in the
foot again as a Ruben Rodrigues free-kick and O’Brien’s penalty – for his hat-trick saw Notts pull clear.
County’s win wasn’t enough to take the National League title
to the final day of the season, though, with Wrexham beating Boreham Wood 3-1 in the evening kick-off.
Elokobi has vowed to fix Maidstone’s problems. “I’m bitterly disappointed,” he said. “Yes, it’s Notts County but how many times are we going to keep doing it to ourselves as a group?
“Making basic mistakes after mistakes, keep giving two-goal leads to good teams?
“It’s important that we learn and we haven’t learned all season.
“You know, it’s my job to fix it and I will fix it.”
Elokobi felt Stones gave Notts too much respect as they sat off and let the visitors dictate. They showed what was possible when they got after them in the second half and nearly made it 3-3 when Sam Bone hit the bar.
Elokobi said: “They’ve earned the right to be respected.
“But I’ve always said to our group when you cross this white line you do not show a lot of respect.
“We have to compete and the time that we competed and we started putting in tackles and winning first phases and then being on the front foot, putting balls in behind, we started hurting their defence.”