Gillingham were edged out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night as League One AFC Wimbledon got through Round Two but only after a shoot out. 

Ethan Coleman earned the Gills the shoot out with a late equaliser but sadly for Gareth Ainsworth’s side, it was the Dons who edged through 4-2 after the shoot out. 

The Gills side showed six changes from Saturdays win over Walsall and started brightly as Marcus Wyllie raced onto Sam Gales through ball.

Unfortunately the striker was forced wide by keeper Joe McDonnell which allowed defenders to recover and clear. Shad Ogie shot wide before Jake Turner was called into action on the half hour saving from Danilo Orsi.

It was the start of the visitors best spell of the half and eleven minutes from the break Orsi fed Antwoine Hackford and the Dons man coolly slotted home past and advancing Turner.

Orsi almost doubled the lead just before the break as he held off Andy Smith’s challenge and lifted the ball over Turner but also the Gills crossbar. 

The second period was one that the Gills grew into with changes made but time slowly ticked by before with just six minutes left, the home side drew level. Sam Gale won a corner; Max Clark flighted a great delivery for Coleman to rise highest and glance the ball home beyond McDonnell.  

The home side now pressed for a winner and nearly got it – sub Robbie McKenzie crashing an effort off the underside of the bar after a great flick by Josh Andrews straight into the galloping run of the Gills sub. 

And so to the shoot out and after Jonny Williams and Andrews saw their kicks brilliantly kept our, home fans thought they’d been given a lifeline when Turner kept out Alastair Smith’s effort.

But referee Hair deemed that the Gills stopper had come off his line and Smith hammered his second chance beyond Turner to send the Dons through. 

Gillingham: Turner, Hutton, Gale, Andy Smith, Ogie (McKenzie), Clark, Coleman, Khumbeni (Andrews), Jonny Williams, Wyllie (Nevitt), Gbode (Sargent) Subs – Morris, Cirino, Little, Dack, Beszant 

AFC Wimbledon: McDonnell, Asiimwe, Johnson, Orsi (Stevens) Maycock, Bugiel (Hippolyte), Hackford (Kelly), McCoy-Splatt (Alastair Smith), Harbottle, Sasu (Seddon), Ogundere Subs – Bishop, Horan, Sidwell, Nkeng 

Referee – Mr. Hair