Stuart O’Keefe has helped see off one of his former clubs in the Carabao Cup and would love a shot at another - Crystal Palace.

The midfielder helped Gillingham win a place in the hat for round two after beating Southend United 1-0 on Saturday.

O’Keefe, 29, started his pro career with Southend before moving onto Palace and playing for them in the Premier League.

The unseeded regionalised round two draw of the Carabao Cup takes place today (Sunday) and will immediately be followed by the third round draw, which will include the seven Premier League clubs competing in Europe.

It’s hoped doing both draws will help broadcasting companies plan more easily in what is a congested schedule. Round two games are scheduled for next Tuesday and round three the following week.

Speaking after helping see off Southend on Saturday, O’Keefe said: “Southend were fantastic for me when I went there and did my apprenticeship. They gave me an opportunity to be a professional.

“I went from there to Palace and I have a lot of time for Southend, I still live in the area and so I wish them well.

“Palace away would be lovely (in the next round) if we could get that, it would be brilliant. I have not been back since so it would nice to go back to Selhurst Park. I would enjoy that.”

All clubs winning their round one ties will be in the hat with Championship and Premier League teams in the round two draw. Those entering the third round stage are Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.

The Gills’ win over Southend wasn’t convincing but a useful exercise in preparing for the League 1 opener against Hull City next weekend.

O’Keefe said: “Our goal before the game was that we wanted to be in the hat for the next round and we have achieved that.

“We could have been better at times but the first one is out of the way and we move on and look forward to Tuesday (an EFL Trophy match against Crawley Town) and then to Saturday.

“It was different with no crowd. We relish the crowd here, especially the Rainham End. In spells there was a good pace to the game, a good tempo, some good challenges and everyone treated it like a proper game.

“It is good to get that feeling back. It’s been a while since we played at Sunderland (at the end of the curtailed 2019/20 season).”

Read more on Gills' win over Southend United