Young striker Stan Sargent was rewarded for his goalscoring form in Gillingham’s under-18s by getting a run-out with the senior side on Tuesday night.
Sargent came off the bench with the Gills trailing 1-0 in their Carabao Cup first-round match against AFC Wimbledon, making his second appearance for the club after playing a few minutes in an EFL Trophy match against Stevenage last season.
Sargent has been bagging plenty of goals over the summer, including two against Colchester under-18s in a pre-season friendly, and he scored twice in a 3-1 win for the youth team at Newport last weekend.
Manager Gareth Ainsworth was pleased to give the teenage striker a chance to shine with the senior side, singling him out for praise.
“I think he enjoyed it,” said the Gillingham boss.
“He was on the pitch when we scored the equaliser and I think he was all in with the celebration. He’ll learn a lot from that.
“To have one of our young boys from Joe Dunne’s (under-18) group making that step, I think signs are good for the future here.
“There is no divide at this club. We’re all close. We all work really hard together.
“Joe Dunne is a diamond of an academy manager the way he manages the 18s. He’s great and very open to whatever we’re trying to do, and we’re lucky to have him.
“Players like Stan making the step, I think it’s only a good thing for Gillingham.”
