Last updated: 13 October 2026, 22:18 BST
Gillingham 4–3 Brighton U21 was the confirmed final score at Priestfield on Tuesday 13 October 2026, after Albion’s young side scored three unanswered goals but could not complete an EFL Trophy comeback.
Gillingham 4–3 Brighton U21: how the score changed
Brighton’s official match centre and event log record a Tom Eaves penalty at 32 minutes, followed by Bradley Dack at 39 and Ethan Coleman in first-half stoppage time. Louie Dayal made it 4–0 at 49 minutes.
Nti replied at 51 and 70 minutes. Silsby then scored a direct free kick in the fourth minute of added time, leaving Albion one goal short when the match ended.
Why this matters for Albion’s development side
The EFL Trophy provides a different test from an under-21 fixture against another academy. In a club interview published before the game, Silsby discussed the value of adapting to opponents’ contrasting styles. The sequence at Priestfield now gives that discussion a concrete result to assess.
Brighton Locals’ view
The response after going four goals down is encouraging, but it should not obscure the position Albion had allowed to develop. Three late goals show there was still attacking output; they do not turn the defeat into a successful result. The useful coaching question is how to combine that response with a more secure first hour.
What happens next — and where to check
Follow the club’s match centre for any corrections and subsequent reaction. We are not drawing a qualification conclusion from this result alone: that requires the complete group standings and remaining fixtures. Sky Sports’ fixture listing independently identifies the 13 October EFL Trophy game at Priestfield.
For the senior side’s separate European fixture, see our Brighton v Kauno Zalgiris tickets and travel guide.
Bottom line
Albion made the closing stages competitive, but the four-goal deficit proved too large to recover.
Archive: Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham, 4 February 2023. Photo: Marathon / Geograph via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Reproduced without editorial alteration; WordPress supplies resized versions. This does not show the 13 October 2026 match.
Leave a Reply