Gillingham 1 AFC Fylde 0: Lewis Walker scores winner in FA Cup first round replay at Priestfield

One goal was enough for Gillingham to squeeze past non-league Fylde and into round two of the FA Cup.

Scott Kashket missed an early penalty for the Gills but Lewis Walker struck just before the break. Fylde pressed in the second half for an equaliser but couldn’t finish. Victory will see the Gills head to Dagenham & Redbridge in round two.

Tuesday night’s game was Fylde’s eighth in the competition, with all four of their ties going to replays. They were backed by 66 travelling fans, hoping to cause a cup upset.

The Coasters held the Gills to a 1-1 draw in Lancashire for another chance to claim their first ever Football League scalp. There was a sparse home crowd watching the replay.

Neil Harris made five changes to his starting XI, switching around his forward line, Kashket and Lewis Walker picked as the manager continued his search to find goals from within his side.

Walker had a golden chance to put the Gills ahead early on, when he was fouled inside the box by visiting captain Alex Whitmore, only to drag his shot from 12 yards wide of the upright.

Gills had scored 17 of their 18 goals during their three cup shootouts prior to Tuesday but this was the first opportunity from normal play. Kashket had scored in two of those but failed to convert against Fylde.

It was fairly open start to the game, both teams a little unsettled and giving away opportunities. Walker headed against the bar with the offside flag raised, having earlier blasted one effort over and fired another straight at the keeper.

Fylde’s leading scorer Nick Haughton missed the target with an early free-kick and wasn’t going to beat Jake Turner with his 20-yard shot. The match looked like it had goals in it, if only the players could find the quality