Gillingham’s FA Cup journey ended at the first hurdle against League 1 Blackpool on Saturday.
A brace by Sonny Carey was enough to settle the contest as Steve Bruce made a winning return to Priestfield.
Gillingham made three changes from the team that drew 1-1 at 10-man Swindon last weekend. Glenn Morris was recalled between the sticks with Armani Little and Jack Nolan also starting.
There was an emotional reception prior to kick-off for former Gills defender Bruce, who was back in the Blackpool dugout for the first time since the death of his grandson.
It took 10 minutes for the first effort at goal as Jacob Wakeling failed to clear the ball in his own penalty area but Elliot Embleton could only find the side netting.
Embleton then tried a more conventional approach to goal, cutting in from the right and seeing his low 20-yard left-foot shot comfortably gathered by Morris.
Armani Little shot over at the other end for Gillingham but they were getting little change out of the imposing centre-back pairing of Odeluga Offiah and Olly Casey.
Veteran keeper Morris was almost left red-faced when striker Kyle Joseph closed down his hurried clearance but the ball rebounded well wide of the vacant net.
Nolan was playing off main striker Wakeling and he had a number of attempts at goal. A well-worked throw saw Nolan turn and shoot from 20 yards but his effort was always swerving wide, then the former Accrington man was set up in the box by Tim Dieng but his shot lacked power.
Another good set-piece move saw the ball worked for Nolan at the edge of the box but his left-foot drive was blocked by a defender.
Blackpool had been on the backfoot at this stage but they took the lead seven minutes before half-time. Jayden Clarke’s clearance out of defence was picked up by the visitors, who worked the ball into Sonny Carey, and his arrowed left-foot shot from 20 yards went in via the inside of the post.
It could have been 2-0 two minutes later but Ryan Finnigan fired over the bar after good work by Joseph.
While the Gills had plenty of the play in the second half, they were unable to put the visitors under a sustained spell of pressure or create many clear-cut openings.
On 58 minutes, Nolan’s cross fell to Little but his goalbound shot was deflected wide off his own player while a fine run forward by Clarke ended with a shot at goal again being blocked.
Manager Mark Bonner turned to Joe Gbode to add to their attacking options but his first involvement was nearly putting the ball in his own net. Morris had saved smartly to deny Blackpool substitute Jordan Rhodes from adding a second but the resulting corner hit Gbode and had to be hacked clear by the alert Wakeling.
Bonner rolled the dice with 11 minutes left, bringing defender Conor Masterson off and introducing striker Marcus Wyllie.
The Gills had shouts of a penalty turned down with six minutes left when Casey’s attempted clearance hit his own hand but they were unable to fashion another chance to take the game to extra-time.
Blackpool confirmed their progress in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Carey raced clean through on the counter and slotted low beyond Morris.
Gillingham: Morris, Masterson (Wyllie 79mins), Ehmer, Ogie, Hutton, Dieng (Gbode 70mins), Little, E Williams, Clarke, Nolan (Andrews 89mins), Wakeling. Subs not used: Ashby-Hammond, Turner, Giles, Hawkins, Clark, J Williams.
Blackpool: O’Donnell, Gabriel, Evans, Joseph (Beesley 70mins), Carey, Embleton (Pennington 84mins), Coulson, Ballard (Rhodes 70mins), Casey, Offiah, Finnigan (Onomah 89mins). Subs not used: Tyrer, Fletcher, Baggott, Thompson, Ashworth.
Referee: Carl Brook.
Attendance: 4,403 (213 away).
