Maidstone boss George Elokobi insisted the long wait for a first league win in charge wasn’t proving a burden.

The former Wolves defender is in his first managerial role but failed to register a win in 19 league games during the second half of last season in the National League.

But any danger of that run extending into the new season was quickly ended on the opening day when Maidstone came from behind to beat Slough at the Gallagher last Saturday.

“It's not really been hanging over on me, I knew what job I took here and I trust our process,” said Elokobi.

“I said give me a chance to be able to get some players in and try to add to the quality that we already have here. It’s a football match, a new season, new beginnings.

“Yes, we’ve learnt from the past and it’s important going forward that we nullify those mistakes that we made.

“On another day last season, we could have lost this game so it’s shown that’s one step in the right direction for us as a football club. It’s nine months since we won a league game, we need to look at those little steps.

“It's not even the satisfaction. We take it one game at a time, if we win that’s good for us as a football club, if we draw then we look at what was not quite right and if we lose then, as a management team, we try to help our players tactically to ensure we develop them and stay together.”

It could have been argued that the weekend was effectively the start of Elokobi’s tenure in charge.

That’s not a viewpoint shared by the Stones boss, who has clearly learned plenty from his opening months in the dugout.

“Everyone has their own opinion,” explained Elokobi. “I’ve got mine which I won’t share but it’s about building and developing, it’s about the lessons learnt.

“I’ve always said I don’t lose, I always learn and that’s important. Nothing in life is a negative to me, not just in football but my life in general and if you follow that then you know why I’m saying that.

“I don’t lose, I learn and that’s all part of the cycle. Are we going to win every single game this season? It’s not going to happen. But it’s about taking one game at a time, and we move on.

“It was pleasing to start on a positive note for a new campaign with the new group of players that we’ve got. I’ve always been positive in football, you can never be too low or too high and you have to find the right balance in the game.

“If you do that then you have to look at it day by day, it’s our job to make sure we keep helping our group so this is no different.”

The great strength for Maidstone this year could be the quality rather than depth of squad. It was a team that picked itself too often last season, something Elokobi was keen to change in the summer.

“Last season the team picked itself because of the amount of injuries we had and the personnel available to myself,” he noted.

“This season, we’ve brought in a squad that is capable of competing in my opinion and everyone is going to get their time.

“It’s about what happens on the training ground, what we’re up against in opposition and how they are going to play, and then we assess our group to ensure we can pick the right team on the day - and the right bench - that is going to help us as a football club.

“That’s exactly why we’ve got a small squad, so everyone can be utilised as we see fit and everyone feels a part of it. Everyone is trusted to come on and do a job.”

Maidstone now start a run of four successive away games due to building work at the Gallagher to install a new safety control room.

The Stones visit Bath on Saturday and Braintree on Tuesday night.