Gillingham boss Mark Stimson was frustrated after his side's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup - but was proud of his players' efforts.The Gills looked on course to earn a lucrative third-round replay thanks to Simeon Jackson's superb strike, which cancelled out James Milner's opener, but Milner's controversial late penalty took Villa through.

Stimson said: "I'm proud of the players first and foremost. I thought they did well out there playing against a very strong Aston Villa side and gave a good account of themselves. On the result, I'm frustrated, we were close to maybe getting a draw and going back to Villa Park."

The penalty was awarded for a challenge by Adam Miller on Ashley Young and while Stimson felt the decision was harsh, he admits there is something for his players to learn from it.

"It was a big decision to be made," he added. "Having seen it on the TV, I've seen them given and I've seen them not given, it's one of those in between and unfortunately for us, we didn't get the rub of the green, they've got a penalty.

"You have to be careful when you are defending in your box. If you're going to go for the ball, you've got to be 100% otherwise you give the decision over to the referee and sometimes they do get them wrong. Having seen it, I think it was harsh but it's a lesson to learn."

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