Gillingham ended their EFL Trophy group stage with a draw against Colchester United and a bonus point from a penalty shoot-out win.
Lewis Walker’s opener was cancelled out almost immediately by former Gills man John Akinde, both goals coming at the end of an otherwise uneventful first half.
No goals in the second half meant the tie went to penalties, won with Jordan Green’s spot-kick. Gillingham made just the four changes for their final group stage match, with striker Lewis Walker, wide-man Jordan Green, midfielder Dom Jefferies and goalkeeper Jake Turner all getting another chance to impress.
It was wholesale changes for the visitors, making use of a much bigger squad, with only captain Luke Chambers keeping his place in the U’s team after their 2-1 league win over Harrogate at the weekend.