Gillingham will be involved in a VAR trial at Burton Albion this weekend.

Goal line technology is also being used, a week after the Gills had a goal ruled out against Southend United which they felt had crossed the line.

It will be the first time that a video assistant referee (VAR) and goal line technology will have been used in the third-tier of English football, even though any decisions made won’t affect the game.

Burton are putting the facilities into practice in preparation for the visit of Manchester City in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup on January 23.

This weekend’s game against the Gills will be a ‘full non-live suitability test’ and will allow Burton to make sure everything is working, ahead of their big cup game.

Both VAR and goal line technology is being used in both semi-finals, with Tottenham facing Chelsea in the other two-legged tie.

A statement from the EFL said: “The use of VAR comes as the EFL continues its commitment to support English football’s contribution to the live trial currently taking place, ahead of the technology being introduced into the Premier League from the start of the 2019/20 season.

“Subject to a satisfactory test against Gillingham, Burton Albion and Chelsea will both feature VAR at their Carabao Cup Semi-Final home fixture, alongside the Final at Wembley on Sunday 24 February.”

Gillingham were left fuming at a disallowed goal against Southend, when Connor Ogilvie appeared to have scored, only for the officials to wave play on as they felt the ball hadn’t crossed the line.

Manager Steve Lovell and assistant boss Mark Patterson were both booked for questioning the decision.

The Gills have already taken part in lower-key trials ahead of VAR’s introduction in the Premier League.

Earlier this season, in October, a young Gillingham team, made up mainly of players from the under-17s and 18s, played matches against Bournemouth and Southampton at Dean Court.

In the match against Southampton, they conceded a goal that was VAR checked for offside and scored from the penalty spot through Charles Noyelle, another incident decided by the video assistant.