Mamady Sidibe kept Gillingham's cup dream alive with a goal eight minutes from time in their clash with Leeds at the Priestfield.

The Gills striker scored the vital goal moments after Mark Viduka had been dismissed for elbowing Andy Hessenthaler.

Of the many attributes associated with FA Cup ties involving lower division teams playing host to more illustrious opponents, scrappiness was the key feature of this match.

The hosts showed little respect for the Premiership side and succeeded in unsettling them from the start of the match. Gui Ipoua was looking particularly impressive in the opening stages and was within inches of hitting the target after two minutes.

Leeds eventually got a shot on target after 25 minutes when Harry Kewell turned his marker at the edge of the box but his shot was straight at keeper Jason Brown.

The visitors had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Neale Barry two minutes later when Eirik Bakke went down under a challenge from Barry Ashby.

Ashby then came close for the Gills when rose above the Leeds defence at a corner, but the ball dropped two yards wide of the post.

And from Gillingham's next corner five minutes later, Paul Smith's powerful drive from 25 yards dipped narrowly over the bar, although Paul Robinson appeared to have the ball covered.

Kelly and Smith celebrate

The hosts almost broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time when another Hessenthaler corner was won by Ashby and Ipoua hit the post with his snap shot.

After the turgid offering of the opening half it was a pleasant surprise to get a real moment of quality just four minutes after the break.

Paul Shaw manhandled Alan Smith at the edge of the box, and the Leeds striker curled the resulting free-kick round the wall past the airborne Brown.

Kewell should have wrapped up proceedings six minutes later when he broke through the Gillingham defence and after forcing Brown to committ himself, sent the ball over the bar with the keeper sitting on the deck.

Former Leeds striker Rod Wallace joined the action with 20 minutes to go, and his first touch was enough to lift the home support as he set up Sidibe for a half-chance.

Player-manager Hessenthaler and Shaw both cleared the bar with efforts in the following minutes, but there was no way through.

Leeds were reduced to 10 men after Viduka clashed with Hessenthaler, and the Gills man went down clutching his face.

Twenty seconds later Sidibe latched on to a low cross from the left and smashed his drive past the helpless Robinson.

Romance is a word constantly associated with the FA Cup, but romance should never be this ugly.

Gillingham: Brown, Southall, Edge, Ashby, Hope, Hessenthaler, Smith, Saunders, Shaw, Ipoua (Wallace 72), Sidibe.
Subs Not Used: Bartram, Leon Johnson, Spiller, Perpetuini.

Leeds: Robinson, Kelly, Lucic, Radebe, Matteo, Bakke, Okon, Wilcox, Kewell, Smith, Viduka.
Subs Not Used: Martyn, Harte, Duberry, Fowler, Milner.
Sent Off: Viduka (81).
Booked: Matteo.

Att: 11,093
Ref: N Barry (N Lincolnshire)