Mark Kennedy must have been disappointed to be left on the bench for Man City's second-round second-leg match against Gillingham at Priestfield last night but he got his chance after 36 minutes when he replaced Paul Ritchie and quickly put the disappointment behind him by turning in a man-of-the-match performance.

Kennedy is trying to prove himself to Mick McCarthy after leaving down both the Irish team and himself with his antics in Dublin before Ireland made the trip to Holland for their first World Cup qualifier. There is no better way to do it but to play out of your skin and that is what the winger did.

After drawing 1-1 in the first leg at Maine Road, City always knew that they would be tested by Gillingham and so it proved as the home team took the lead after 26 minutes through Thompson

Three minutes after the break Kennedy made his first telling contribution to the game when he hit a beautiful cross from the left-hand side which landed perfectly on the head of George Weah, who made no mistake from close range.

It was the Kennedy-Weah combination which gave the visitors the lead on the night and in the tie five minute later, when Kennedy split the Gillingham defence with a low cross straight across the face of the goal and Weah squeezed the ball in at the back post.

Thompson hit back for Gillingham to send the game into extra time but a breakaway goal from Paul Dickov with seven of the 120 minutes left gave City the advantage.

Kennedy made sure of a place in the next round when he drifted to the right in the last minute before picking up the ball and attacking the Gillingham goal before unleashing a fierce drive which gave the goalkeeper no chance.

Elsewhere, Charlton got dumped out of the cup by Second Division Stoke with former St. Joseph's Boy James O'Connor getting on the scoresheet in a game that Stoke lost 4-3 but won on away goals.

Charlton rested both Dean Kiely and Mark Kinsella but they must be now kicking themselves as the Second Division outfit overran them at times.

Matt Holland helped Ipswich into the next round but only just. Millwall travelled to Portman Road with a two-goal lead from the first leg and despite the sending off of Dolan in the 28th minute the Second Division outfit were holding their own.

The real turning point of the game came in the 73rd minute when Millwall had a second player sent off and then Ipswich scored a minute later when Johnson got free of his marker to set up a grandstand finish.

Titus Bramble sent the game into extra time with Ipswich's second goal two minute from time and Holland made his mark within seconds of the restart when he ghosted into the box to stroke the ball home.

Ipswich went on to score another two goals to run out 5-2 aggregate winners.