Gillingham booked their place in the second round of the FA Youth Cup following a 4-2 win at Hertford Town on Friday night.
Stan Sargent (2), Sullivan Booth and Michael Luxton were all on target for the visitors, who had to play the last ten minutes with ten men with Luxton being dismissed for a second bookable offence.
The result means Gillingham will play Forest Green Rovers at home in the second round.
In drizzly conditions at best, Gills stormed out of the blocks with Stan Sargent having an effort blocked inside the first 30 seconds which failed to beat the Hertford keeper.
Seven minutes later, Sargent was at the heart of the action again, heading a Cruz Beszant corner over the crossbar. Beszant blasted a shot high and wide from the edge of the area two minutes later, as Gillingham controlled the early stages.
A move involving Louie Dayal and Sullivan Booth ended with home goalkeeper George Coomes saving a low Sargent drive at his near post on the quarter hour mark. Another Beszant corner saw a Michael Luxton header blocked on 21 minutes, before Dayal missed the target.
Zak Broadbent tried to force the ball over the line in a melee shortly afterwards as Gillingham continued to dominate. Coomes was called into action again on 23 minutes to thwart a low Dayal effort from the edge of the area. Booth was freed on the left of the area after a slick move on 24 minutes to open the scoring for the visitors. Dayal’s pass was dummied by Sargent allowing Booth the opportunity from which he made no mistake. Within a minute, Dayal almost made it two, but his effort was blocked by a home defender.
Sargent nearly found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper on 32 minutes, but the referee adjudged him to have fouled the last defender, and a free-kick was awarded to the home team. Fin Lynch levelled matters on 35 minutes when his smart turn and low shot eluded Fletcher Hegarty’s dive.
Within two minutes, Hertford almost took the lead when Dylan Coletti’s shot from the edge of the area sailed wide of the far post, with Hegarty beaten. Alfie Cross was shown a yellow card on 42 minutes for a foul on the edge of the box. Coletti made the visitors pay by firing the free kick past Hegarty to give the hosts a lead.
In the one minute of added-on time, Sullivan Booth eased past his marker to square for Sargent, who shot low past Coomes for the equaliser. Incredibly, the hosts almost re-took the lead from the restart when Lynch’s audacious shot from his own half only just cleared Hegarty’s crossbar.
HT: Hertford Town 2-2 Gillingham
The rain started to fall heavier as the second half began, with neither side making any half-time substitutions. Alfie Cross intercepted a misplaced pass on 51 minutes, his initial through ball was blocked, but he got a shot away, however, this was blasted narrowly off target.
Within a minute, Luxton found the head of Stan Sargent, who made no mistake in regaining Gillingham’s lead. The hosts made their first substitution on 54 minutes, when Dereon Wray replaced Fin Gadsby.
Coletti stung Hegarty’s fingers from eighteen yards on 55 minutes, but the Gillingham goalkeeper was equal to the task. Luxton fell foul of the referee on 56 minutes, when he received a yellow card from a foul 25 yards out. From the resulting free-kick, Fionn O’Connel’s header was smartly gathered by Hegarty.
Michael Luxton found Sullivan Booth on the hour mark, but his shot from a narrow angle went wide of the far post. Hertford made a substitution on 65 minutes when George Evans replaced Stan Valentine.
Gillingham’s first change was Zack Whitelock, who replaced Stan Sargent on 66 minutes. On 74 minutes, Kelly Adams produced some nice footwork on the left side of the area, beating his man, but his shot drifted wide. Just two minutes later, Michael Luxton curled a fine left foot shot past Coomes for Gillingham’s fourth, his first goal for ‘The Gills’.
In response, Timothy Adewale-Banks replaced Lucas Titchmarsh for the hosts, who went close with a Harry Chetwood effort on 77 minutes. Hertford kept the pressure up, with George Kingham and Ollie Porter going close. Ethan Ottley replaced Jack Heaton for Hertford’s final change on 81 minutes. Booth forced Coomes into action on 83 minutes with a low drive, which was comfortably saved, before Luxton was dismissed after receiving a second yellow card on 84 minutes for a foul on the edge of the area.
Alfie Cross was replaced by Jack Kingston four minutes into time added on for stoppages, but Gillingham saw out the five additional minutes with the minimum of fuss, ensuring progression to the second round, where they will meet Forest Green Rovers at MEMS Priestfield Stadium.
FT: Hertford Town 2-4 Gillingham
Hertford Town: Coomes, Porter, Gadsby (Wray), O’Connel, Heaton (Ottley), Chetwood, Titchmarsh (Adewale-Banks), Kingham, Lynch, Valentine (Evans), Coletti.
Subs not used: Barrie, Georgio, Mukopfa.
Gillingham: Hegarty, Grant, Adams, Cross (Kingston), Jones, Broadbent, Dayal, Luxton, Sargent (Whitelock), Beszant, Booth.
Subs not used: Spencer, James, Carruthers, Surrey.
