PREVIEW

Steve Harris

@steveharris84

MATCH DETAILS

Maidstone United versus Torquay United – National League South

Venue: Gallagher Stadium

Date: Tuesday 6th February 2024

Kick-off: 7.45pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Torquay: 2

Draw: 2

Maidstone: 11

FORM GUIDE

Torquay: D, L, W, D, L, L

Maidstone: W, L, L, D, W, W

TOP SCORERS

Torquay: Aaron Jarvis/Brad Ash (9 each)

Maidstone: Levi Amantchi (now Bromley) (14)

MAIDSTONE FACTFILE

Year founded: 1992 (reformed as Maidstone Invicta)

Nickname: The Stones

Last season’s league finish: 24th in the National League

Notable Honours:

National League South:

Winners: 2021-22

Isthmian League:

Winners 2014-15

MANAGER – GEORGE ELOKOBI

Cameroon-born George Elokobi initially took charge of Maidstone on a caretaker basis following the dismissal of Hakan Hayrettin, before he was handed the reins on a permanent basis.

As a player, Elokobi was given his big break in the professional game by Colchester United in 2004, after he was spotted playing for Dulwich Hamlet.

He made his professional debut whilst on loan at Chester City in 2005 and on returning to Colchester Elokobi helped the U’s to win promotion to the Championship under Phil Parkinson in the 2005-06 season.

His displays for Colchester earned him a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2008 and he won two promotions: one from the Championship in 2008-09 and the second from League One in 2013-14. During his time at Molineux, he was loaned out to Nottingham Forest and Bristol City.

Elokobi was released by Wolves at the end of the 2013-14 campaign and joined Oldham Athletic, where he played under Lee Johnson, son of Gary.

A second spell at Colchester United followed when he re-joined the U’s in 2015, and he later returned to the non-league game with spells in the National League with Leyton Orient and Aldershot Town.

He later joined the Stones in 2019 and helped them to win the National League South title in his final season as a player in the 2021-22 campaign. In addition to this, Elokobi scored in the final game of his career, which saw Maidstone defeat Hampton and Richmond Borough 2-1, to give him the distinction of having scored in every division from the Premier League right down to National League South.

In the 2023-24 season, Elokobi guided the Stones to the fifth round of the FA Cup, memorably defeating Championship side Ipswich Town in the fourth round.

ELOKOBI STATS

Date of Birth: 31/01/1986

Date Appointed: 24/03/2023

Previous Clubs Managed: None

PLAYER TO WATCH – LUCAS COVOLAN

Former United keeper Lucas Covolan wrote his name into Torquay United folklore when he headed home the Gulls’ equaliser in their 2021 National League Play-off final against Hartlepool United – emulating his compatriot Allison, who scored for Liverpool several weeks earlier. He also saved two penalties in the penalty shoot-out, which United lost 5-4.

It proved to be Covolan’s final appearance in a Gulls’ shirt as he headed to the EFL with a move to Port Vale in the summer of 2021. After failing to hold down a regular first team spot at Vale Park, he joined Chesterfield on a season-long loan deal in the 2022-23 campaign and signed for the Stones in the close season.

COVOLAN STATS

Position: Goalkeeper

Date of Birth: 06/06/92 (32)

Birthplace: Curitiba (Brazil)

Height: 1.93m

Former Clubs: Vasco, Atletico-PR, Esportivo, Toledo, Rio Branco, UD Alaro, Whitehawk, Lewes, Worthing, Torquay, Port Vale, Chesterfield

OLD BOYS

Torquay: Ross Marshall

Maidstone: Lucas Covolan

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

Torquay

Mark Halstead

Austen Booth – Ollie Tomlinson – Dean Moxey

Dillon De Silva – Brett McGavin – Ethon Archer – Will Jenkins Davies – Dan Martin

Tom Lapslie

Brad Ash

Maidstone

Lucas Covolan

Raphe Brown – George Fowler – Reiss Greenidge

Lamar Reynolds – Sam Bone – Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong – Sam Corne – Harry Kyprianou

Matthew Rush – Muhammadu Faal

LAST MEETING

Saturday 14th October 2023 – Torquay United 0 Maidstone United 2, FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round

Levi Amantchi maintained his record of scoring in every round of the FA Cup in the 2023-24 campaign for Maidstone United, as his brace sealed the Stones passage to the first round against Torquay United.

After a quiet start, the first clear cut chance of the game fell to Torquay midfielder Tom Lapslie when he brought a long ball from Ollie Tomlinson under control before firing a tame shot into the arms of Maidstone keeper Lucas Covolan on 16 minutes.

Two minutes later, Lewis Collins had a shot blocked which rebounded into the path of Lapslie, who saw his effort deflected behind for a corner.

In the 25th minute, Covolan parried away a corner from Jack Stobbs, which fell to Aaron Jarvis whose hooked shot was blocked on the line.

Maidstone finally managed to muster a shot on target on 28 minutes when Sol Wanjau-Smith had a low drive turned wide for a corner by Torquay keeper Mark Halstead.

The Stones took the lead in first half injury time when Amantchi tapped home following a mix-up between Shaun Donnellan and Halstead, after Halstead appeared to have gathered the ball.

In the second half, Torquay threatened an equaliser in the 54th minute when Collins blasted over and five minute later, Jarvis drilled an angled effort wide.

Maidstone doubled their lead on 69 minute when Halstead parried a long range strike from sub Razzaq Coleman-DeGraft, which fell to Amantchi who slotted home to seal the win.