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Trinidad and Tobago international defender Brent Sancho is hungry for another England Premier League test after helping League One club, Gillingham, to a shock second round Carling Cup win over Portsmouth on Tuesday evening.


Defending Premiership champions, Chelsea, or the formidable Manchester United will do nicely.

"I want to draw Chelsea or Manchester United in the next round," a laughing Sancho told the Trinidad Express. "That would be it for me. I could retire after that."

At 28, Sancho should be a long way from going to pasture but the emotional high was understandable. The Gillingham players were booed off their home ground, just ten days earlier, when they crashed 3-0 to League One rivals, Barnsley, while they conceded seven goals without scoring in their last three fixtures.

The Carling Cup win against a Portsmouth outfit that contained Uruguayan international striker Dario Silva and Senegal midfielder Salif Diao went some way towards atoning themselves with their frustrated fans. For Sancho, such fixtures justified his decision to swap Scotland-where he lined up for newly relegated Scottish First Division team Dundee-for the English lower league.

"One of the reasons I left Scotland was to play in games like that," he said. "It was a really exciting game and it was all about the opportunity to test yourself against the supposed top players in the world. I think you get a better chance to that in England."

Five other Trinidad and Tobago players featured in knock out action on Tuesday night as well.

At Sheffield, Shaka Hislop made his first appearance in the West Ham goalmouth since rejoining the club in August and helped the Premiership side to a 4-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Scotland-based central defender Marvin Andrews was also on the winning side and got a crucial goal to boot as he steered Glasgow Rangers to a 5-2 CIS Cup triumph against visiting Clyde.

First Division Clyde were 17 minutes from a prize Scottish Premier League (SPL) scalp before Rangers attacker Thomas Buffel equalized to send the match into extra time. Andrews got the second of three Rangers goals during that period as Scotland's defending champions successfully fought back.

No such luck for Coventry's Clayton Ince, Luton's Carlos Edwards or Southampton's Kenwyne Jones' though.

Ince deputized for ineligible Coventry first-choice goalkeeper Stephen Bywater but could not keep a clean sheet as they fell 1-0 away to Crystal Palace while Edwards' Luton and Jones' Southampton lost by similar scores at Reading and Mansfield respectively.

But Gillingham's win was arguably the most satisfying by a Trinidad and Tobago played in midweek and only a 1-0 triumph by League Two leaders, Grimsby, over Premiership outfit, Tottenham, topped it for national attention.

Sancho started at right back before moving into central defence to replace his injured captain Chris Hope. Trinidad and Tobago central defender Ian Cox missed the match through injury.

Sancho was involved in two penalty decisions-one converted by Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor-but felt hard done by on both occasions and was pleased with his overall contribution.

"The pace was real fast but I thought I did okay," he said. "Dario (Silva) was quick and full of tricks but he didn't like being roughed up. It was a tough game though because things that players in our divisions do in two touches, they do in one. They are also much better running off the ball."

Sancho wants Chelsea next. He had no doubts about the most dangerous player in the ranks of esteemed Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

"I am not worried about (Didier) Drogba," he said, with a laugh. "Drogba is mince meat. It's (Arjen) Robben that I am afraid of."