Albion battled brilliantly but fell to defeat in the Papa Johns Trophy on Tuesday night as Gillingham beat Shannon Ruth’s side 3-2.
Despite goals from Evan Ferguson and Todd Miller either side of half-time for Albion, the League Two Gills came from behind to win thanks to two strikes from Lewis Walker and a wonderful Will Wright free-kick.
Albion started brightly and saw a penalty shout after six minutes waved away when Cameron Peupion was brought down on the byline by Ryan Law, and the pace of our forwards caused more problems moments later.
A blistering counter-attack led by Miller finished with Ferguson losing control of the ball when he looked likely to fire us ahead from 12 yards, but the Irish striker remained a menace and came close again after 18 minutes when he directed a header from seven yards straight at Jake Turner.
Directly from that save, the Gillingham goalkeeper launched his side’s first attack and when Alex MacDonald received the ball on the left he had time to pick out Lewis Walker with a low pass across the face of goal which was fired home first-time to open the scoring.
It was harsh on Albion who had looked the more likely to score, but their heads didn’t drop and they soon had the goal they deserved as Ferguson leapt highest to head Ruth’s team level shortly after the half-hour mark.
Sam Packham floated a good cross into the penalty area, but there was a still a lot of work to do for Ferguson who climbed between two Gillingham defenders and generated all the power on the ball to find the top corner from nearly 18 yards.
Gillingham ended the half with a flurry of corners and a half volley from captain Shaun Williams well saved by James Beadle, but Ruth’s side were deservedly all square at the interval.
The hosts began the second half like they had finished the first with a succession of set-pieces, and nearly had a second goal after 51 minutes when a corner fell to Hakeeb Adelakun on the edge of the box, but Beadle dived low to his right to keep out the Gillingham winger's shot.
Despite Gillingham’s extra intensity, Albion continued to more than match their League Two opponents and took the lead in the 63rd minute through Miller.
After Ferguson and Peupion had combined to create an opening for Andrew Moran that was curled wide moments before, the exciting duo combined again to find Miller in space seven yards out, and he made no mistake with a first-time shot past Turner.
The game was wide open now and Albion could only hold onto the lead for eight minutes as Walker stabbed home his second of the match at the back post following Cheye Alexander’s deep cross, and the hosts were back in front in the 76th minute.
It was a moment of class from the Football League side, as Will Wright curled a superb free-kick around the Albion wall and into the bottom corner from wide on the left of the penalty area.
The hosts thought they had a fourth five minutes later when a goalmouth scramble from a corner ended with the ball in the back of the net, but it was ruled out for a blatant foul on Beadle and that would have been harsh on Albion.
Shannon Ruth’s side desperately searched for a way back into the game and forced a handful of late corners, but they came to nothing and the Gills held on for victory.
Albion: Beadle, Packham (Jackson 79’), Tsoungui, Turns, Furlong, Hinshelwood, Spong, Peupion, Moran, Miller (Barrington 66’), Ferguson.