Charlton Athletic (1) 1 Ahearne-Grant 37
Gillingham (0) 0
Played at Priestfield Stadium
Att. 1,268
Entrance: £2.50 Senior
Programme: £3
Mileage: 56/6,460
Match Report
And in fairness, given the strength of the Gillingham line-up the result was slightly embarrassing, but had Gillingham fielded their own Development team, then the 9-1 thrashing in a pre-season friendly they received from Charlton indicated that it would have been altogether more embarrassing.
As it was an entertaining and thoroughly competitive match resulted and one that spilt over a couple of times as Luke Norris and Harry Lennon, previously team-mates during the latter’s loan spell at Priestfield, squared up to one another and a particularly nasty tackle from Levander Pyke that dumped Callum Emptage into an advertising hoarding incurred the outrage of the home support situated in the Medway Stand.
Despite their tender years, Charlton looked the more cohesive of the two sides throughout the match and in 17-year-old Karlan Ahearne-Grant they had both the match winner and the man of the match. After 20 minutes Stuart Nelson was called upon to beat away a shot from the young striker.
It wasn’t one-way traffic though and Josh Pritchard brought a great save from Dillon Phillips whose fingertips diverted the ball onto the crossbar from around 35 yards and following a misplaced backpass from Harry Osborne that let in Greg Cundle, Phillips was off his line to block the effort on goal.
After 37 minutes, a suicidal back pass from Emptage was seized upon by Ahearne-Grant, who finished exquisitely with a chip over the advancing Nelson to give the Addicks a half-time lead.
Gillingham huffed and puffed their way through the second half and a couple of headed opportunties from Norris and Leon Legge, might have tied the game up.
One of a couple of 16-year-olds in the Charlton ranks, Joshua Umerah should have put the game to bed with 12 minutes remaining when, set up by Ahearne-Grant, his shot towards goal failed to carry enough weight to beat Gavin Hoyte who cleared from the line.
A couple of years ago, Charlton mauled Tonbridge Angels 7-1 in the Final of this competition and, on this performance, it would appear that their Academy is continuing to produce youngsters of much promise.
The emergence of Bradley Dack and Jake Hessenthaler serves to prove that Gillingham’s own Academy can also produce quality youngsters and hopefully the long wait for a Kent Senior Cup triumph will be ended in the not-too-distant future and achieved without the need to call on the senior team.
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