Gillingham’s didn’t get the result they wanted at Maidstone in the Kent Senior Cup but the experience was invaluable.

A youthful Gills team were beaten 2-0 in the second round match at the Gallagher Stadium.

Report: Maidstone 2-0 Gillingham

Interim first-team boss Keith Millen and under-18 manager Mark Moss were on the touchline for the match but no senior players were risked, with a big League 2 fixture against Notts County coming up.

It was left to Gills’ young pros and youth scholars to take on the National South side and it was a great challenge.

“We competed well,” said youth boss Moss.

“It was a young group and a big occasion for some of them and a big crowd.

“We were good between both boxes at times, I thought we passed the ball well, under a lot of press, but when you come to these places if you don’t take your chances, we had chances in the first half that we didn’t take, they took theirs and fair play to them.

“They were good, they were really intense, they put us under a lot of pressure.

“Maidstone picked a strong team and we knew they would, George (Elokobi) has got them playing really well and fair play to them, our boys will learn, take the experience and they will be better for it.

“The experience the lads have had will definitely put them in good stead.”

The Gills were backed by 500 fans at the Gallagher Stadium in what was a tremendous atmosphere for a county cup competition, but Maidstone’s National South side proved too strong.

A penalty from Devonte Aransibia and Sol Wanjau-Smith’s effort won it for the Stones, with the Gills failing to make the most of any decent chances they created.

Moss said: “We had a lot of second year scholars and a first year scholar out there as well, it’s a really good learning curve for them, some of the B Team boys as well, the group will learn from it, take the experience of the night and move on.

“The fans were brilliant on Saturday and brilliant tonight, everywhere we go they have been fantastic, fair play to them.”

A hostile environment will have done no harm for youth players Taite Holtam, Harry Webster, Stan Skipper and Kai Garrett who were named in the starting lineup. There was only a handful of first team appearances spread between the players named in the 16-man squad.

Moss said: “I think (the crowd) was probably a little bit of a shock to them in the first few minutes and during the warm-up but that is where we want to get them to, we want them playing infront of big crowds and that is what they are going to have to deal with in the first team. What better occasion to get them used to it.”

For youth manager Moss, it was a case of getting back to his regular duties, dealing with the young Gillingham players, but he’s likely to be helping out again on Saturday when the Gills return to League 2 action.

While Gillingham remain managerless, Moss has been helping out.

He said: “It is all hands to the pump, you just go with it for now.

“The mood (in the first team) has been good (since Saturday’s defeat), it has been positive and we know we need to react.

“In terms of what is going on with the management situation, we take it day by day and we will deal with it the best we can. We will keep doing the best job we can.”