It’s been 99 years since the Gills last beat Swansea in the FA Cup.

And that tie took four matches to be settled, with the Gills eventually beating Swansea Town, as they were then known, 3-1 in a sixth qualifying round third replay.

Victory earned the Gills a game against West Stanley in the first round proper, which they promptly lost 3-1.

Separating the sides during their first cup meeting proved problematic, with the match at Priestfield ending in a 1-1 draw in front of 10,000 spectators.

In what was described as a “strenuously contested” game, the Gills found themselves a goal down before equalising from the penalty spot through Scottish forward Tom Leslie.

There was another crowd of 10,000 in attendance for the replay at the Vetch Field, two days before Christmas in 1919, and again Swansea drew first blood. The game finished all-square again with inside-left Len Ramsell getting the equaliser.

With no goals in extra-time another replay was needed and that was played in Cardiff, but once again there was no winner, and this time no goal, as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw.

The tie returned to the south east, to another neutral venue, and at Chelsea early in the new year the Gills finally prevailed.

A report in the Western Mail described a ‘hard game in which the team that adapted itself best to the prevailing conditions won by sheer stamina. Conditions were not conducive for good football, the ground being in a treacherous state owing to the thaw, and drizzling rain did not add to the comfort of the players’.

A crowd nearing 16,000 watched on as the Gills struck first. Swansea failed to clear a corner and Bobby Steel drove the ball home on 15 minutes. A mistake at the back led to Gills’ second goal when two players went for the same ball and missed, allowing Arthur Wood to net in an open goal.

Swansea dangerman Evan Jones pulled a goal back with quarter of an hour left but the saga was finally settled for good when Wood – playing with a metal plate in his forehead due to an injury sustained while fighting in the Great War – converted a twice-taken free-kick from just outside the box.

Since then the Gills have met Swansea three more times in the competition, losing all three.

Their last FA Cup meeting came in January 1972 when Swansea City – having changed their name in 1970 – ran out 1-0 winners at the Vetch Field.

Swansea Town had won both of the earlier meetings 4-1 – winning in Wales in January 1947 and then returning victorious from Priestfield in January 1960 by the same scoreline.

The last time these two sides met each other was back in 2008, when Swansea were in League 1.

Swans beat Gillingham 2-1 at Priestfield in April that year to seal promotion to the Championship.

Gills will hope to turn party poopers in the fourth round tie – and repeat the success of their last win at the Liberty Stadium back in 2006.

Goals from Darren Byfield and Neil Harris led Gills to a 2-1 victory – their first away league success of that season in late January under the stewardship of Ronnie Jepson.

Gillingham’s last win over Swansea came later that year, 3-1 at Priestfield in September.

Current first-team coach Ian Cox got two of the goals that day, while last weekend’s chief tormentor for Walsall, Matt Jarvis, got the other.