Peter Taylor was watching on as a Gills XI beat Plymouth Argyle in the under-21 Premier League Cup.

An own goal in the final minute of extra time saw Gillingham's development team claim a 1-0 win and a trip to Cardiff in the next round.

Defenders Leon Legge and Matt Fish both featured. Both are trying to force their way into Taylor’s first-team plans.

Neither made the matchday squad at the weekend but Taylor hasn’t ruled either out of a return.

"People like that can only do themselves good,” said Taylor.

Fish missed almost the whole of last season with injury and picked up another knock at the start of the current campaign. He has started just two games this season.

“I lost a little bit of confidence in him on the strength of him losing a bit of confidence,” said the Gills boss.

“I am getting to know him and I have to say the boy has been absolutely fantastic. In training he been spot on, his attitude has been brilliant.

“He is doing very well and he wanted to play (against Plymouth) and that’s good.”

Legge, 29, hasn’t made a league appearance since the 4-1 defeat at Barnsley. Since then the central defensive pairing of Kortney Hause and John Egan have done little wrong.

Taylor hasn’t received a request from Legge for a move elsewhere but admits he wouldn’t have been surprised if he had.

The Gills boss said: “He hasn’t (knocked on my door) and to be fair to him, with his age, I would understand if he did come and see me because you do want to play football.

“At the moment that’s not been the case. I hope Leon has looked at it where John Egan and Kortney Hause are doing well.

“It is probably tough for Leon to accept he is not in the starting line-up but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world, not at the minute, you still don’t know what can happen.”

Senior pros Callum Davies and keeper Glenn Morris were also involved in Tuesday's game.

Striker Antonio German was one of a handful of players given the option to play and he accepted.

“They wanted to keep their fitness and sharpness going,” said Taylor.

“I was very pleased with Antonio German when he came on (at the weekend).

“There have been lots of times when he has come on where I haven’t felt like he has tried to have much of an impact. But on Saturday he was big, strong and aggressive and ran around to close people down.

"That’s what you have to do when you come on as a sub like that.”