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.