A late winner secured Gillingham a place in the Third Round of the FA Cup in front of a frozen and sparse crowd.

On the coldest football night of the year could the magic of the FA Cup finally ignite Gillingham’s season from hell as Hakeeb Adelakun’s first goal in Gills blue in the final minute of an end to end Second Round replay booked Neil Harris’ side a home tie with former winners and Premier League Champions Leicester City.

After National League Dagenham & Redbridge had threatened to defy the odds after Max Ehmer had put the Gills 2-1 in front thirteen minutes from time before making the misjudgement that allowed the ten men from Essex to draw level, Adelakun’s 95th minute winner was worthy of winning any game let alone “just” a FA Cup tie.

The ten men had been awarded a corner which Adelakun himself came away with. After gloriously finding Scott Kashket – the man who had saved the Gills in the original tie twelve days ago – the winger continued his marauding run to take the sub’s brilliant return in his stride before powering the ball beyond a floundering keeper to send the Gills through, and you have to say deservedly so…

It’s just a shame that the majority of the Priestfield faithful had stayed in the warm to watch the BBC TV pictures – at one stage during the second half nearly 6,000 were viewing through the broadcaster’s website – but to everyone watching, the Gills once again demonstrated a never say die attitude in Cup football that simply hasn’t been there in League Two this season.

Three goals in 95 minutes in this game as opposed to six goals in twenty whole League games says it all really…

On this frozen Thursday, both sides had early chances as the two Walkers – Gills’ Lewis and Dagenham’s Josh – both should have scored in the opening three minutes in a taste of what was to follow.

Those who braved the cold in Gillingham blue began to wish that they hadn’t though on fifteen minutes when visiting skipper Matt Robinson took advantage of some statuesque defending to brilliantly fire into the bottom corner of Jake Turner’s net.

The Gills though rallied and deservedly drew level on the half hour when Elkan Baggott rose brilliantly ahead of keeper Eliot Justham to power home Ben Reeves’ corner for the young defender’s first goal in the FA Cup.

David Tutonda – playing his first game in weeks and whose battle with former Gills winger Myles Weston was a joy to behold – should have really given the Gills the half time lead but blazed over before Dagenham themselves created three good chances in the half’s closing minutes where they would have believed that the lead at the break should have been theirs!

Given the end of the first half, the second half developed slowly, and it was only after a double change from Harris that saw Alex MacDonald and Kashket introduced that the Gills began to gain a grip on the tie.

And when MacDonald’s corner was superbly headed home at the back post by Ehmer for his first goal in almost a calendar year – which was followed shortly afterwards by a straight red card to Harry Phipps for a truly horrendous lunge on Lewis Walker, and surely the Gills were through.

But such has been the rollercoaster of this season, Ehmer quickly turned panto villain from hero as his attempted head back to Turner was horribly short allowing Dagenham sub – George Saunders to waltz round the stranded Gills keeper to slide the ball home and possibly send the tie to extra time in even increasingly freezing conditions.

Adelakun though was to step in and save the frozen few and send the Gills into another Cup tie with their third Premier League side of the season, and quite possibly give his manager the time he deserves to right the League wrongs of 2022…

GILLINGHAM – Turner, Wright, Ehmer, Baggott, Tutonda, Williams, Jeffries, Green (MacDonald 64), Adelakun, Reeves (Kashket 64), Lewis Walker.

Subs not used – Alexander, Mandron, Lee, Mnoga, Harriott, Law, Holtham.

Goals: Baggott (26), Ehmer (77), Adelakun (95).

Booked: Tutonda (21), Jefferies (89).

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE – Justman, Hare, Onariase, Phipps, Rance, Weston, Robinson, Sagaf (Bird 77), Johnson (Saunders 55), Josh Walker, Morias.

Subs not used – Mussa, McCullum. Zouma, Scott, Longe-King, Dixon, Franz.

Goals: Robinson (15), Saunders (84).

Sent Off: Phipps (79).

REFEREE – Mr Thomas Kirk

Attendance: 1533

Picture supplied by Gillingham Football Club.