Gillingham conceded three second-half goals at the Bauvill Stadium in the Kent Senior Cup second round tie at Chatham on Tuesday to exit the competition.
Played in front of a full house, Chatham Town manager Kevin Hake named a strong starting eleven for the hosts, and ‘The Chats’ proved too strong for the young Gills, with Kola Salami, Jack Lyons and Tolu Ladapo all netting in the second-half for Town.
Harry Webster was named Captain for the visitors with Sulli Booth, Louie Dayal and Teddy James all named in a young XI.
The game was only seven minutes old when Chatham were forced into the first substitution of the match when Harry Lodovica hobbled off, to be replaced by Kola Salami.
Within a minute, Benji Spencer was called into action in the Gills’ goal, gathering a shot from Sam Folarin at the second attempt. Zac Whitelock turned inside near the edge of the Chatham Town area on nine minutes, but he was outnumbered by Chatham defenders, and his effort on goal was blocked.
Gillingham won their first corner of the match on eleven minutes, following a move involving Kelly Adams, Cruz Beszant and Louie Dayal. Beszant’s corner was played back to Dayal over twenty yards out, but his shot went wide of the far post.
A corner for Chatham, in the twentieth minute, was glanced across goal by Gills’ defender Teddy James, evading the Town attackers and out for a second corner, which was cleared following an effort by Folarin.
Folarin looked to test Benji Spencer from distance on twenty-seven minutes, but his shot narrowly cleared the crossbar.
Booth took control of the ball in midfield on twenty-nine minutes, and he released Zac Whitelock, but the referee blew for a foul by the Gillingham forward before he was able to get his cross over. Two minutes later, Thomas Silva played in Dayal whose shot was blocked for a corner. Beszant took the resulting kick, but it was headed clear by Butler.
With twelve minutes of the half remaining, Lyons dribbled though the midfield, before James blocked his shot for a corner, taken by Folarin, which came to nothing. Gillingham’s best chance of the night came on thirty-five minutes, when Michael Luxton intercepted the ball in the centre circle, to play in Beszant. His shot was parried by goalkeeper Nathan Harvey, but Dayal was unable to turn the ball home from close range.
Two minutes later, Benji Spencer comfortable gathered an effort from twenty yards from Lyons.
HALF-TIME: Chatham Town 0-0 Gillingham
Chatham Town made a half-time substitution, with captain Reece Butler replaced by Jack Turner. Within a minute of the re-start, Dayal won a corner on the right wing, which he took himself. Captain for the night, Harry Webster, headed the set piece over the bar from close range.
Substitute Kola Salami opened the scoring on forty-eight minutes, when Lyons crossed low from the right wing, and Salami finished from six yards in the centre of the goal. Four minutes later, Michael Luxton tried to retain possession in Town’s penalty area, but, as the ball broke loose, Chatham’s defence were able to clear. Booth immediately sent a low cross into the box, but Dayal was unable to get his shot away.
Within a few minutes, Dayal’s positive run ended with a shot low to the near post, which Harvey turned around the post for a corner. A second Gills’ corner followed, but when the ball was cleared, Salami went on a solo run, which resulted in Spencer saving at his near post.
Ladapo kept up the pressure on the young Gills, sending a shot off target after being assisted by Lyons. On fifty-eight minutes, Sullivan Booth ended a good move from the visitors, firing a cross-shot past the far post. ‘The Chats’ made a third change just before the hour, with Jordy Robins replacing Garlinge.
A minute later, Ladapo was fouled by Luxton in the area, and referee Reed had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Cruz Beszant was booked in the aftermath for dissent. Lyons blasted the spot kick down the middle of the goal, giving Spencer no chance. As the home team celebrated, Adams and Silva departed the scene, replaced by Arthur Mhlanga and Alex Zinici.
Spencer did well a minute later to save at the feet of Folarin as he closed in on goal, and Gills had two efforts blocked, the first from Luxton, the second from Adams, before the ball was cleared.
With a third of the match left, Chatham replaced the influential Lyons with Kai Redgrave, and two minutes later, earlier substitute Salami was replaced Mo Gibbs. In the seventieth minute, a low cross was deflected behind for a Chatham corner, which was confidently taken by Benji Spencer.
Jones and Whitelock were replaced on seventy-three minutes by Henry Broster and Sharu-Kamose Thomas, before Ladapo, on seventy-eight minutes, sent a beautiful curling effort from just outside the penalty area perfectly into the top corner.
Redgrave went close for the hosts when his run ended with a shot into the side netting. Luxton received a yellow card in the second of three minutes of added-on time for a foul in midfield, and the action ended with a Folarin shot from a free-kick just clearing the crossbar from nineteen yards.
FULL-TIME: Chatham Town 3-0 Gillingham
Chatham Town: Harvey, Butler (Turner), Lodovica (Salami) (Gibbs), Garlinge (Robins), Leathers, Lyons (Redgrave), Folarin, Olugbodi, Hobden, Giles, Ladapo.
Gillingham: Spencer, Jones (Broster), James (Lawal), Silva (Zinici), Webster, Luxton, Adams (Mhlanga), Beszant, Whitelock (Thomas), Dayal, Booth.
Referee: Thomas Reed
