Gillingham are joined by two non-league Kent sides in the FA Cup first round draw today - and they’d love to be paired with one of them.

Monday night’s draw sees Chatham Town among the teams who will be in the hat after their 3-1 win away at Tonbridge Angels - the first time in 97 years they have been at this stage of the competition.

Chatham aren’t the only Kent team to have made it through the qualifying rounds - Josh Wright’s Ebbsfleet United claimed their place after beating Solihull Moors on Saturday.

“It would be great wouldn't it, to have a Kent derby?” said Gillingham assistant boss Richard Dobson.

“I think it would be good for the whole area and for the club.

“If we could pull one of those sides out, preferably at home, that would be great, but there's every chance we'll end up somewhere like Carlisle!

“You get excited for these draws, and they're always a bit of an anti-climax aren't they? But I remember a few years ago when we were in a hotel for a game and we pulled Spurs out, and that was a great occasion because it's the one time when you suddenly go, ‘Oh wow, you do actually get good draws in this cup!’

“But, whoever it is we'll take it and it's a good competition, so we look forward to that game.”

Gillingham fell at the first hurdle in last year’s FA Cup when they were beaten at home by Blackpool, then managed by former Priestfield favourite Steve Bruce.

Monday’s draw sees the qualifying teams from non-league joined by the EFL clubs from League 1 and 2.

The lowest-ranked team left in the competition are big-spending Maldon & Tiptree, the eighth-tier side winning a place in the first round thanks to a goal from former Chatham striker Freddie Sears in a 1-0 home win over Flackwell Heath.

Ex-Gills front-man Macauley Bonne made his debut off the bench for them in that game, having joined just before the weekend. His time at Gillingham was unfortunately best remembered for an incident where he smashed up a garden wall in his BMW.

Whitstable Town were the last remaining ninth-tier side left in the qualifying rounds and their terrific run finally ended at the hands of National League side Wealdstone.

Monday night’s draw takes place live on TNT Sports ahead of the match between Worthing and Forest Green Rovers.

Chatham Town have an open training session at 4pm today (Monday) ahead of the draw being screened live at the club, with first-team players and management present.

The Gills are ball number 22, Ebbsfleet United are 71 and the Chats are 73. Visit www.kentonline.co.uk/sport for full details.

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