Gillingham bowed out of the Emirates FA Cup on Sunday evening at Priestfield in front of the BT Sport cameras as two second half goals for West Ham United sent the Hammers into Round Four.
A sold out Priestfield witnessed a Cup tie that saw the Gills more than hold their own for more than an hour as Steve Evans’ side went toe-to-toe with the three times winners and were perhaps unlucky to be behind to Pablo Zabeleta’s first goal for West Ham with just sixteen minutes left on the clock.
If the home side were unlucky to concede a first, it was heartbreak in stoppage time when Spaniard Pablo Fornals rolled home a second as the visitors broke the length of Priestfield.
Unlike several of his contempories, “new” (and indeed now returning) Hammers boss David Moyes decided to make just four changes from the side that beat Bournemouth 4-0 on News Year’s Day which was the Scotsman’s first game back in charge at the London Stadium.
And sadly, that meant that the Hammers presented just too many problems for a Gills side who ran themselves into the ground but couldn’t create that little bit of luck that they would have needed.
The manager had called for his charges to still be in the tie at the seventy minute mark to have a hope of causing an upset. Through a mixture of heroic and yes at times desperate defending, some magnificent battling in the middle of the park to Brandon Hanlan’s usual ninety minutes of battling running up front they managed to do just that.
Early on it became apparent that Hanlan was going to have his work cut out against the towering figure of Issa Diop although the battle between the two was a joy to behold and you always sensed that the Gills dangerman would get one chance.
The Gills start had an already rocking Priestfield rising to the next level as Olly Lee burst the edge of the box before being foiled and Hanlan had his first shot of the night that he didn’t get purchase on the ball he’d like allowing Lukasz Fabianski to save comfortably.
It was an enthralling first half that had the 10,913 crowd totally engrossed and although Sebastian Haller did have the ball in the Rainham End net the “goal” was never going to stand as both Max Ehmer and Jack Tucker were fouled.
The partnership of Ehmer and Tucker, along with the back up of the full backs – Barry Fuller and Connor Ogilvie – have been one of the main reasons for the Gills’ improvement this season and they were superb with the covering and tracking.
Felipe Anderson was becoming more involved for West Ham playing behind Haller and seconds after half time wriggled through brilliantly before blazing high and wide of Jack Bonham’s goal.
Bonham was then in desperate trouble trying to reach a driven cross from Zabaleta but after furiously back pedalling did just enough as West Ham upped their tempo.
The Gills were creaking for the first time and on 74 minutes the Argentinian opened his West Ham account with a shot which seemed to go in off the Gills keeper’s chest.
Response though was instant, and Hanlan finally got away from Cisse and thundered an angled drive over Fabianski and against the West Ham bar. Sadly, Hanlan had already been waved off-side!
The Gills though weren’t for throwing in the towel and they kept probing and kept pressing but couldn’t find a way past Fabianski and co although there were a couple of scares but sadly nothing that looked likely of saving them. The closest the Gills got was a volley from O’Keefe that flew past the Hammers goal with Fabianski rooted to the spot.
GILLINGHAM – Bonham, Fuller (Ndjoli 86). Ehmer, Tucker, Ogilvie, O’Connor (Marshall 79), O’Keefe, Lee, Jones, Jakubiak (Charles-Cook 79), Hanlon
Subs – Hodson, Willock, Pringle, Marshall, Walsh
WEST HAM – Fabianski, Balbuena, Anderson, Lazan, Snodgrass (Fornals 69), Ogbanna, Haller, Diop, Fredericks (Zabaleta 42), Masuaku, Rice
Subs – Roberto, Reid, Sanchez, Ateji, Holland
REFEREE – Mr Madley
ASSISTANTS – Mr Robathan & Mr Howson
FOURTH OFFICIAL – Mr Whitestone