Cheltenham Town saw off the challenge of Leyton Orient to reach the third round of the FA Cup for the third consecutive year and only the fifth time in their history.
Grant McCann scored twice and Bob Taylor once, although Orient will no doubt claim that the key decision of referee Mark Warren to send off their goalkeeper after only 16 minutes proved the crucial turning point.
The game began in a lively enough fashion with Martin Devaney shooting into the side-netting for Cheltenham and Orient striker Gary Alexander seeing a header cleared off the line by Mark Yates.
The controversy began when referee Warren allowed play to continue with the Orient players shouting for a foul after Cheltenham striker Damian Spencer had challenged goalkeeper Glenn Morris for the ball.
Spencer tried to get in a shot but was brought down by Morris, the young goalkeeper then receiving a red card for preventing a goalscoring opportunity despite complaints from the defenders that a couple of their team-mates had got back to cover.
Northern Ireland international McCann buried the spot kick and it was the same player who extended the lead 20 minutes later.
Spencer was causing all manner of problems in the Orient defence and it was pressure from him that forced substitute goalkeeper Lee Harrison to pick up a back pass from Matthew Joseph nine yards from goal.
Bob Taylor touched the indirect free-kick back and McCann rammed it into the roof of the net despite the presence of virtually the entire visiting team on the goal-line.
Orient made the running at the start of the second half with chances falling to Alexander and Thorpe, but the home side made the game safe on the hour mark with a breakaway goal.
McCann found Spencer with a pass over the defence and his cross was met by a diving header from the veteran Taylor.
Orient kept going and gave themselves a lifeline with the best goal of the game when Matthew Lockwood smashed a 25-yarder past Shane Higgs, but despite some nervous moments in the closing stages Cheltenham held on to claim a place in the third round draw.
"It's frustrating because we didn't lose the game, the referee lost it for us," said Leyton Orient's caretaker-manager Martin Ling.
"I'm not sure about the penalty decision. I'd need to see the video, but I don't know how the goalkeeper got sent off when we had two defenders back on the line.
"I cannot fault my players for effort although we should have had more shots in the second half from the possession we had." Cheltenham boss John Ward said: "We showed good power and pace today and I'm pleased to get into the hat for the third round. It helps my team to progress and helps the chairman to sleep at night.
"I thought it was a penalty and the sending off was the decision the referee made on it.
"We were perhaps a bit fortunate to get the free-kick for the second goal but we still had to take advantage of it."