Player-of-the-match Jonah Walker scored an extra-time winner to send Gillingham through in the FA Youth Cup on Monday night.
The Gills won a topsy-turvy first-round tie against Charlton at The Valley, after the sides were locked level at 3-3 in 90 minutes.
Gillingham got off to a dream start after just eight minutes. Jonah Walker’s right-wing corner was helped on at the near post and Harry Webster held off his marker to turn the ball home from close range.
The hosts should have added a second four minutes later when Ethan Cann’s pass out of defence went straight to Harry Waldock, who played in Stan Sargent but he blazed over with just keeper Finley Woodham to beat.
Charlton responded as striker Emmanuel Sol-Loza turned Webster inside out before his effort was blocked inside the penalty area.
The Gills continued to look the better side, Sargent got in after a fortunate ricochet but was unable to square the ball to the unmarked Waldock.
A glaring miss on 31 minutes seemed crucial at the time, and so it proved before the half was out. Good work by Sargent set up Walker to cross from the left. Cruz Beszant was unable to head the ball in at the far post, Jimmy Heasman then sending the loose ball against the other post when it seemed easier to score.
Charlton, who had been on the backfoot for large periods, scored twice in the space of two minutes to turn the tie on its head.
Gillingham’s Kacper Kot fouled Ibrahim Fullah in the box and referee Deryll David pointed to the spot. Fullah himself stepped up to fire low to keeper Carter Sullivan’s left and level the scores.
The Addicks were ahead one minute into stoppage time, Reuben Reid striding forward and sending an unstoppable 20-yard right-foot shot into the far corner.
Gillingham took just four minutes of the second half to get back on level terms – the goal again coming from a right-wing corner. Keeper Woodham flapped at Walker’s pinpoint delivery and Kot scored from close range.
Chances came at either end, Heasman shooting low at the keeper before Charlton broke with speed only for Alan Mwamba to fire off target.
Gillingham regained the lead with 20 minutes left when another brilliant delivery from the left foot of Walker was deftly headed in by striker Sargent, whose efforts leading the line certainly deserved to get him on the scoresheet.
But Charlton responded to level the tie up again on 78 minutes, the excellent Mwamba creating space for himself in the penalty area before finding the bottom corner.
It needed an excellent last-ditch tackle by Harry Webster to deny Charlton a winner with just two minutes left after Mwamba played in Phoenix Valentine and Ethan Brown’s header from the resulting corner was then cleared off the line.
The game went to extra-time with Ben White collecting the game’s first booking for a foul on Brown just outside the penalty area. Fullah’s free-kick forced a good diving save from Sullivan in the Gillingham goal but the chances dried up as both teams understandably tired.
Centre-back Brown nearly put Charlton ahead at the start of the second period of extra-time but his effort was cleared away after a tricky run inside the penalty area took him past a number of Gills defenders.
The game was edging towards penalties when Gillingham won a free-kick on the edge of the box. Up stepped Walker, who had provided the assist for the first three goals, and he promptly fired low into the bottom corner to add his name to the scoresheet.
Gillingham: Sullivan, Kot, Walker, Luxton (Asaba 90+6mins), Dobbs, Webster, Beszant, White, Sargent, Waldock, Heasman (Dayal 83mins). Subs not used: Hegarty, Broadbent, Adams, Cross, Booth.
Charlton: Woodham, Brown, Tagoe, Safa (McMillan 112mins), Cann (Burnham 72mins), Elliott, Reid (Valentine 72mins), Mwamba, Sol-Loza, Amoah (Ogunnowo 61mins), Fullah. Subs not used: Sadler, Belton, Dawkins.
Referee: Deryll David.
Attendance: 348.
