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Gillingham 1 Colchester United 1 ( Gills win 4-3 on penalties)
By David Pritchard
Mark McCammon scored the decisive penalty as Gillingham edged past Colchester via a shootout in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
Simeon Jackson, Chris Palmer and Curtis Weston were also on target while Alan Julian saved David Fox's penalty to help seal victory.
Jackson was also on target from 12 yards to give the Gills a lead in normal time before Clive Platt’s late header sent the game to penalties.
Gills boss Mark Stimson said: "It's nice to win, especially against Colchester because since I've been here they've pipped us in every game so far. It was important to try and redress that.
"I'm proud of them because we put a team together that probably would have surprised a few people, but it was an opportunity to get some players out there against decent opposition and see if they were ready for the challenge. The ones we stuck in did very well."
The big surprise before kick-off was Barry Fuller’s return to fitness after limping off on Saturday. Stimson still made six changes from the draw at Walsall, with Jacob Erskine and Luke Rooney handed their first starts for the club.
The youngsters combined to almost open the scoring after four minutes. Erskine, a summer signing from Bromley, did well to hold off a defender and find Rooney, who turned the experienced Matt Lockwood inside out before blasting a shot which was well saved by Mark Cousins.
Both were the stand-out performers in a relatively quiet first half played in front of a small crowd at Priestfield.
The Gills grew in strength as the half went on, with Adam Miller and Danny Jackman coming close to breaking the deadlock. At the other end, Alan Julian had relatively little to do, although he smartly saved Anthony Wordsworth’s curling free kick.
Former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd watched from the stands ahead of his expected unveiling as Colchester boss and the visiting players looked keener to impress after the break. The Essex side monopolized possession but created relatively little.
Stimson threw on Jackson, Curtis Weston and Kevin Maher midway through the half in a bid to liven up the home side. Minutes later Barcham, who had a quiet game by his standards, was tripped in the box, allowing Jackson to add to his tally from the spot.
It looked to be enough to send the Gills through, but six minutes from time Clive Platt headed home after Alan Julian parried Scott Vernon’s point blank header.
Curtis Weston had a great chance to win the game in normal time, shooting wide when through on goal.
Adam Miller was the first to miss in the penalty shootout when his kick hit the crossbar, but Julian's save from Fox and David Perkins' miss allowed McCammon the chance to put the Gills through. The tall striker did not disappoint.
Gillingham host Exeter City on Saturday.
Penalty shootout (Colchester take first);
Colchester - Vernon (scored), Wordsworth (scored), Fox (saved), Lockwood (scored), Perkins (miss)
Gillingham - Jackson (scored), Miller (miss), Palmer (scored), Weston (scored), McCammon (scored)
Attendance: 1,725
Gills: Julian, Fuller (capt.), Richards, Gowling, Palmer, Rooney (Weston 67), Miller, Jackman (Maher 67), Barcham, McCammon, Erskine (Jackson 67)
Subs: Royce, Bentley
Colchester: Cousins, Okuonghae, Vincent (Thomas 76), Platt (capt.), Hackney (Perkins 45), Fox, Izzet (Wordsworth 21), White, Heath, Vernon, Lockwood
Subs: Williams, Maybury
POSTED: 01/09/2009 11:11:54