Colchester United 2 Gillingham 1: Reaction from Gills assistant manager Richard Dobson after Vertu Trophy defeat

Gillingham’s stand-in boss Richard Dobson was disappointed to lose on Tuesday but delighted with the lessons learned by many of their young players.

In their first EFL Trophy game last month, the Gills beat Fulham under-21s 4-1, with many of their young players making the headlines, but things were different on Tuesday as they faced a seasoned Colchester United team.

Report: Colchester 2 Gillingham 1

The home side got their winning goals late on as they were able to put top-quality players on at League 2 level against a Gills side who finished with an experienced team. That told in the end, as Colchester won 2-1, but it was a great learning experience.

“I thought Colchester showed great respect for the competition in terms of the side that they put out,” said Dobson, who remains in charge while Gareth Ainsworth recovers from heart surgery.

“I told the boys before the game that it would be very different to the last round and the Fulham under-21 side.

“We knew it was going to be a quicker pace, a lot more physical, and it was a really good test.

“I looked at their team sheet [before the match] and it was stronger than I expected them to be.

“You can pat yourself on the back because you beat Fulham's 21s, but how many of Fulham's under 21s would play in League 2 on a regular basis with this sort of physicality and the intensity of the games?

“This was good for our boys, they need it, they need to understand, they need to learn about the levels and they need to know where they're just short, if they are short.

“We obviously send them out on loan to understand and cope with the tougher side of the game.

“They get knocked about a little bit in non-league football, but in League 2 there's good technique, there's good