Gillingham’s youngsters are through to the Third Round of the FA Youth Cup with a 3-1 win over the youngsters from National league Eastleigh under the Priestfield lights.
The young Gills will now face a home tie with Oxford United in Round Three after what was in all honesty a flattering scoreline for the home side.
After Will de Wilde put the home side in front just before the break, Eastleigh deservedly levelled just past the hour when Joe Ryan netted at the second attempt and just as it seemed the visitors were grasping the initiative, two goals in the final ten minutes from Jimmy Heasman and Ben Clark saw the home side through.
Early on, both sides struggled to get a foothold – Kyran Samadi going close for the visitors and Josh Bayliss for the home side before de Wilde struck.
The ball fell to him on the edge of the box and his first time shot seemed to loop over a diving Oliver Harrison in the Eastleigh goal – de Wilde was challenged by Ashton Pickles as he shot, and the defender may well have got a touch on the shot.
Gillingham were given a wake up call in first half stoppage time as Sam Godfroy thumped a twenty-five-yard free kick beyond the dive of Tobey Smith and the home stopper was relieved to see the ball crash off the angle of post and bar before disappearing into a deserted Rainham End.
The near miss certainly handed the impetus to the visitors, and they deservedly levelled when Ryan battled through, holding off a defender. His first shot was blocked by Smith, but the Eastleigh man was quickest to react, and the goal was bundled home.
The visitors now looked most likely to take the game and Smith did very well to keep out Billy Brackley’s effort after another Ryan effort was blocked.
As the game headed into the final ten minutes there were some anxious looks at the watch with extra time looming, but the Gills retook the lead and the initiative in the game with ten minutes left as a long through ball from the left was helped on for Heasman who made no mistake from six yards out.
The game was effectively less than a minute later as Bobby Gorman completely misjudged his back pass and in nipped substitute Clark to roll the ball past the stranded Harrison.
The home side could have won by more – Bayliss just could not connect to a ball in from Leighton Murray and then Murray himself saw an effort really well saved by Harrison in the seven minutes of added time.
GILLINGHAM – Smith, Dobbs (Clark), Walker, de Wilde, Woodliffe, Taiwo-Pratt, Waldock (White), Webster, Garrett (Murray), Bayliss Heasman
Subs – Hegarty, Khumba, Beszant, Dayal
EASTLEIGH – Harrison, Godfroy, Gorman, Pickles, Colvin, Aitken, Landa (Duell Merritt), Manhony, Ryan (Pothas), Samadi, Brackley (Ford)
Subs – Bartram, Bristow, Aldridge, Britton
REFEREE – Mr David