Inside Maidstone United: Former Premier League star George Elokobi leads training on a Sunday League pitch as his non-league side prepare to face Ipswich in the FA Cup fourth round

Half an hour before training begins and Maidstone United manager George Elokobi is pinging cross-field passes to his assistant Craig Fagan. It is just the pair of them on the outfield, enjoying the calm before the work begins.

Elokobi becomes fixated on curling the ball with his left foot around the back of the net and back onto the pitch. He then boots the ball up in the air, shouting “Five!” and counts down to exactly five seconds before the ball hits the ground. The timing is perfect. Of course, it is. And so is his smile when he pulls it off three times in succession.

Elokobi, 37, was once a Premier League footballer but this local Sunday League pitch is a far cry from the peak of his playing career. He once scored at Old Trafford.

‘Hello and welcome to the real world,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘Tell me, how could you ever not love this beautiful game? Between us – he (Fagan – also a former Premier League player) drills the attacking players and I can hairdry the defenders, so we make a good combination,’ Elokobi jokes. It’s time for work.

It is matchday minus two, before the biggest game in Maidstone’s history. On Saturday, the Stones will play in front of almost 30,000 fans at Portman Road – with 4,500 of their own making the trip to East Anglia for a clash against a side 98 places higher.

The former Premier League star has trained his side on a local pitch ahead of the FA Cup tie

Elokobi wanted his players to train on grass rather than their artificial turf ahead of the match

Maidstone are the only English side not from the Premier League or Championship, left in the last 32 of the cup. Their average attendance at the Gallagher Stadium is just shy of 2,000 yet their allocation for Saturday sold out in under two hours.

The Stones usually train at the Gallagher on artificial turf but Elokobi wants to train on grass ahead of their big day so Mail Sport jumps on the team minibus with all the equipment for the ten-minute drive across town.

‘This is our theatre so we must make it special for the players because football should always be a hobby,’ says Elokobi as he puts out the cones.

Despite making over 300 professional appearances in England, scoring in every division from the Premier League to the National League and now just over a year into his first managerial role, he insists that football should never be a job.

When the players emerge, defender Sam Bone’s new turquoise boots stand out. Elokobi instantly spots and a round of applause follows.

‘This game is the biggest of all our careers. We have to enjoy it, so I got these (boots) for the game,’ admits Bone. ‘I’ve even been watching cup upsets on YouTube last the few weeks!’

The session is about to start when much to the joy of everyone, a man jogs over in a red jacket from the car park. Elokobi says that it must be fancy dress day.

It is Manny Duku – a last minute signing from Gibraltar – who only received his international clearance on Tuesday.

Maidstone are the only English side outside the Premier League and Championship in the last-32

Elokobi insists football should remain a hobby and wants his players to enjoy the ocassion

The match against Championship Ipswich will be the biggest of many players’ careers

Duku thought that training was at the Gallagher and with three players cup-tied, he could be in contention today. Welcome to non-league.

For 17-year-old Riley Court, who grew up in the area, it all feels surreal. In one drill, Elokobi tells Court about ‘ghost training’ and the art of visualising the opposition around you. Over 20 of Court’s family will be at Portman Road. ‘It’s going to be mental, he says. ‘I’ll probably drop a few bricks when we walk out! But all credit to George for chucking me in the deep end.’

Among the many local stories is Jamie Hemsley – a university student and boyhood fan who will be in the dugout on Sunday as part of an internship in the sports science team.

As for George Fowler – one of four Maidstone players to have played in all six of their FA Cup ties this season – the contest means an interesting proposition, as someone who came through the ranks at Ipswich. ‘It was a bit of a catch-22, with most of my family and friends living down that way,’ admits the centre-half.

Fowler, like most of the squad is a semi full-time player and supplements his income with football coaching at Maidstone’s academy. Some have separate businesses, with others doing deliveries in their spare time.

Captain Gavin Hoyte, who once played a Premier League game for Arsenal, stresses how ‘special’ it will be to lead the team out. ‘One of the highs of my career, without doubt.’

Throughout training, the focus is on shape, with Elokobi and Fagan getting stuck in. ‘George doesn’t shy away from a tackle. They love getting involved,’ says Fowler.

‘We will get f***king punished on Saturday,’ Elokobi shouts repeatedly, whenever the team loses the shape he wants. He knows the odds are stacked against them. But they were stacked when they came up against Barrow of League Two and Stevenage of League One.

Maidstone’s squad includes Gavin Hoyte, who once played a Premier League game for Arsenal

Elokobi has stressed the need for the non-league side to keep their shape against Ipswich

Most of the squad are semi full-time players, who supplement their income in other roles

Elokobi admits Maidstone’s historic run to the FA Cup fourth round has made him emotional 

Tears were shed after both wins but the belief has always existed.

‘This cup run is historic. It makes me emotional. I am the first Cameroonian to manage an English football club so my message to my players is always that you can do it,’ Elokobi says.

Training ends and Elokobi empties his pockets, acting like he is removing midfielder Jephte Tanga.

‘He’s quite skillful and been running his mouth saying “Oh I’m gonna get you in training gaffer” but I’ve got him in my pocket,’ jokes Elokobi.

A press conference has been arranged in the bar at the Gallagher – the first of its kind at the ground and for 35 minutes, Elokobi, Fagan, Hoyte and Sam Corne talk to the media. ‘This one really is the magic of the cup,’ says Fagan.

Cliches like ‘treating it like any other game’ are mentioned but the truth is that everyone connected to Maidstone has been dreaming ever since the draw was made.

‘I’ve been to nearly 2,000 of our games and it’s emotional seeing how it has taken the town by storm,’ says caretaker and volunteer Barry Fenn, who has followed the club for 66 years. 

‘When the lads walk out on Saturday, it will eclipse everything else. I’ll be in tears. We need a miracle but I want everyone to do it for George because he puts his heart and soul into our club. Come half past two on Saturday afternoon, win, draw or lose, they will all still be our heroes.’