at Wembley in successive months, as he produced a match-winning performance for his club Stoke City on Saturday.

Lightbourne scored one goal and made another in Stoke's 3-2 home win against Gillingham in the first leg of the Second Division play-off semi-finals.

But Stoke's day was marred by Gillingham's controversial second goal which Lightbourne claimed was scored almost two minutes after the match should have ended.

The goal, a long-range thunderbolt by Andy Hessenthaler in the fifth minute of second-half injury time, changed the complexion of the two-leg tie and caused Lightbourne to question the time-keeping of referee Mike Dean.

"The referee told the players there would be three minutes (of stoppage time), but when the fourth official held up the board it said four minutes -- and the goal came in the fifth minute,'' Lightbourne told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

Stoke manager Gudjon Thordarson backed up Lightbourne's comment. He said: "I showed the referee my watch which stopped at 49 minutes, 56 seconds when they scored. He could not explain it to my satisfaction and it was totally unacceptable.'' The winners on aggregate after Wednesday's second leg at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium will go to Wembley in two weeks' time to meet either Millwall or Wigan for a place in the First Division.

The Potters got off to a flying start on Saturday, racing into a two-goal lead inside eight minutes with Lightbourne leading the charge.

Just 30 seconds into the match, Arnar Gunnlaugsson put Stoke ahead, but much of the credit for the goal belonged to the Bermudian.

Lightbourne collected the ball on the left wing and left two defenders in his wake on a penetrating run, before teeing up the Icelander to lash in a spectacular finish from 15 yards.

"It was the sort of start we could only have dreamed of,'' said Lightbourne.

"I just remember getting the ball on the wing and I had a couple of players around me and managed to get away from them. I played it into Gunnlaugsson and he hit a left-foot shot into the top corner.

"Then, it was `game on'. Everybody was up for it and we completely dominated the first 20 minutes.'' With a partisan crowd of more than 22,000 at Stoke's Britannia Stadium whipped into a frenzy, the inspired Lightbourne hammered a 30-yard drive which was well saved by Gillingham goalkeeper Vince Bartram, before he found the net in the eighth minute.

Bjarni Gunnarsson crossed low from the left and Lightbourne swept the ball home with his left foot from eight yards out before wheeling away in celebration.

Lightbourne, who felt he had been unlucky with goalscoring chances this campaign, said the goal was one of the most important he had ever scored.

"It was nice to score,'' he said. "Instead of taking a deflection or going just wide, like it has often for me this season, it went straight into the net.

"I remember the ball was bobbling a bit as it came across to me, so I had to watch it carefully, but I made good contact with it and I knew straight away it was going in. That goal is right up there in the top five of my career.'' Gillingham weathered the storm and came back strongly, pulling back a goal through Ty Gooden in the 18th minute and forcing some fine saves from Stoke goalkeeper Gavin Ward.

Stoke recovered and hit the post through top scorer Peter Thorne in the 59th minute, before the same player struck with his 30th goal of the season to give them a 3-1 lead eight minutes later. James O'Connor's flying header was brilliantly pushed away by Bartram, but Thorne pounced to net the rebound.

Hessenthaler's last-gasp 25-yarder allowed the Gills players to walk off at the end with a spring in their step and Lightbourne warned Stoke's task on Wednesday would be far from easy.

"I'm really looking forward to the next match now, but we know Gillingham are a tough team,'' said the 31-year-old.

"When we went down there early in the season, they beat us 3-0. We started well, but didn't score and we will have to do better this time.'' He felt Stoke's lead would put the onus on Gillingham to attack and that would give his team room to create a few chances on the counter-attack.

"We know they will have to come at us and there will be chances in the game for both teams,'' said Lightbourne. "It will be about who takes their chances, that's what I think it will come down to.'' Last month, Stoke beat Bristol City 2-1 at Wembley in the Auto Windscreens Shield final and Lightbourne believed their recent experience of the famous old stadium would count in their favour, should they progress to the play-off final.

"Since we went to Wembley, there's been a lot more self-belief about the place. If we've gone a goal behind we've shown the attitude to fight back.

"You can be distracted when you go to Wembley, but we've just been through all those emotions and if we get through again I believe we'll be able to control ourselves better and concentrate on our job.'' Kyle Lightbourne: set up Stoke City's first goal and scored the second in Saturday's 3-2 win.