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The Shouting Men: Gillingham midfielder Michael Doughty writes exclusively for the KM Group

I got to the area semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy last season while on loan at Stevenage and we lost on penalties.

It is a good competition because it allows clubs like ourselves and Leyton Orient to have a chance to play at Wembley. For some, that might be their only chance.

All the lads have that in the back of their minds but we have already shown we can beat Orient at home. We go into this one full of confidence.

Michael Doughty takes the ball forward Picture: Barry Goodwin
Michael Doughty takes the ball forward Picture: Barry Goodwin

We were all disappointed not to get the three points against Port Vale last Saturday but have to look at it as another game unbeaten in this run.

We came so close to producing a gritty and winning performance but for a freak goal, which 99 times out of 100 wouldn’t happen. It was tough to take but we have to take the positives.

It is a team sport and sometimes you have to rally round when someone makes a mistake. We’ve all made mistakes. We win, lose and draw as a team.

We came in on Monday with a tinge of disappointment but we can’t let that affect us.

The last game I played against Leyton Orient ended up in me being sent-off for two yellow cards – the second for throwing the ball away.

My genuine thought was to throw it to their player and as I went to pick it up, it was in the heat of the moment. I didn’t see him running towards me so I lobbed it in his general direction. I thought he was further away than he was.

It was a genuine misunderstanding and in that situation I would have liked the referee to have shown a little more leniency but within the rules of the game, you shouldn’t throw the ball away and I understood the yellow card.

It is something I will have to learn from.

We were 2-1 up at the time I got sent-off and when they scored that equaliser to make it 2-2, I was devastated. I ran inside when they scored, got myself together, then watched the rest of the match from the tunnel.

The lads showed great character to win 3-2 and I was on the shoulders of the stewards when we got that winning goal. Had we drawn the game, I would have felt horrific. Luckily, the boys dug me out of a hole and we got a result.

Read the full column in Friday's Medway Messenger

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