Danny Kedwell congratulated after scoring Picture: Barry Goodwin

By Luke Cawdell

Dreams of hitting the winning goal for Gillingham were snuffed out for Danny Kedwell after he ended Saturday’s FA Cup tie battered and bruised.

With 15 minutes gone Gillingham’s leading scorer had put them 1-0 up but with an hour gone he walked off with a cracked rib and a scoreboard showing his team 3-1 down.

Stoke won the third round clash to leave Kedwell down but not out.

"I thought we might be the team to cause an upset but unfortunately we weren’t," he said.

"We are a bit gutted afterwards because the goals we did concede were sloppy really. The gaffer said he was proud of us though and we have to be proud of ourselves, move on, and forget about it."

Kedwell’s 11th goal of the season had given the Gills brief hope of a famous cup shock.

The Gills striker added: "We started well and dominated the first 30 minutes. We got the early goal but the goal they scored was disappointing as he (Jon Walters) didn’t even connect properly and unfortunately it went underneath (keeper) Ross Flitney.

"I think that lifted them a bit and we then conceded from their main threat, which was their throws, but you can’t deal with them. Premier League clubs can’t deal with them."

"They were strong and physical. They are in the Premier League and in Europe for a reason and they have got quality."

Kedwell was forced off, with what he believes is a cracked rib, and will now be a doubt for Saturday’s League 2 match at Shrewsbury.

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