Many characters in non-league football have played or coached with distinction. However, some of those characters have previously played at a higher level of the game but are now making their mark lower in the English football pyramid.
One of those characters is George Elokobi, Maidstone United’s Cameroonian head coach. The former Wolves defender is among a rare group of players who have scored in all four of English football’s top four divisions. During his career, he also helped his teams get promoted on four occasions.
Elokobi’s early journey in the English game
Born in Mamfe, Cameroon, Elokobi attended one of the best boarding schools in the African country. His mother had moved to England to study and earn qualifications, which gave him the education opportunities he had. Unfortunately, his father passed away when Elokobi was just 11 years of age.
At 16, Elokobi moved to England, not to play football but to attend college to study business, IT and sociology.
However, shortly after arriving in England in 2002, he joined Dulwich Hamlet’s youth team in the Isthmian League Division One. His performances for Dulwich caught the attention of Colchester United, and he joined United in the summer of 2004.
He spent a short period out on loan at League Two Chester City, where he made five appearances for Ian Rush’s team. After his loan spell, he played more often for Colchester, eventually making 39 appearances for the U’s.
A big move to Wolverhampton Wanderers
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The centre-back requested a transfer in January of 2008. The request resulted in Wolverhampton Wanderers signing Elokobi for a fee of around £500,000, with the defender signing a 2-and-a-half-year deal with the Midlands outfit.
The defender spent seven seasons with Wolves, during which he played in the Championship and League One. However, the highlight of his career was arguably playing 58 appearances over three and a bit seasons.
During his time with Wolves, he had loan spells at Nottingham Forest and Bristol City in the Championship. He joined Oldham Athletic in League One for the 2014/15 season.
He returned to his first professional club, Colchester United, where he featured in both League One and League Two, making a total of 48 appearances for the U’s.
A return to non-league
The defender returned to non-league in season 2016/17 when he joined National League Braintree Town on loan from Colchester United. He made just seven appearances for the Iron.
However, he returned permanently to non-league football with Leyton Orient for two seasons, but he made just 24 appearances during that time. In the middle of the 2018/19 season, he moved to Aldershot Town.
In the summer of 2019, Elokobi made a move that would be the last of his playing career as he joined National League South outfit Maidstone United.
He spent three seasons playing for United, helping the club to win promotion to the National League in season 2021/22. He called time on his playing career in 2022 via a message on Twitter.
Entered the managerial game
In January 2023, George Elokobi became the interim head coach of his former club Maidstone United. On March 23rd, the Cameroonian was given the job on a full-time basis.
Elokobi thrived in the role and helped the National League South team make history by making the fourth round of the FA Cup in season 2023/24.
It got even better for United in the next round when they recorded a 2-1 win over Premier League-bound Ipswich Town at Portman Road. In doing so, they became the first club outside of England’s top four divisions to make it to the FA Cup fifth round since Blyth Spartans in 1978.
In the same season, he also guided Maidstone United to fourth place in the National League South table, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. Unfortunately, Elokobi and his team lost in the semi-finals against Worthing FC.
At the time of writing, Maidstone United is in tenth place in the National League South table, four points adrift of the play-off spots. It is not impossible to believe that Maidstone could once again reach the play-offs.
Aside from being Maidstone’s head coach, after ending his playing career, Elokobi also featured as an extra in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso. It was fitting that he was part of a television series, considering his character and his varied past.
George Elokobi had an interesting playing career, and the early signs of his coaching career have been promising. He made history as a player, and he will be hoping to make a similar impact after hanging up his playing boots.