Anthony Cook's late penalty gave Chelmsford City a slender advantage in their Blue Square Bet South play-off clash with Salisbury City.
Cook stepped up two minutes from time to place an excellent penalty low to keeper Willem Puddy's left after Brian Dutton had handled in the box.
The home side will probably feel they should have already been ahead, but Michael Bakare saw a number of chances either saved or off-target.
But Cook's spot-kick earned Chelmsford their first-ever play-off match win, and gives them the lead ahead of Saturday's crucial second leg in Wiltshire.
Chelmsford started brightly, clearly keen to avoid a repeat of their previous play-off forays which have seen their slow starts ruthlessly punished.
But for all their early endeavours their best chance –aside from a hopeful volley by Kenny Clark that was well over the top - of the opening exchanges came when the ball fell to Max Cornhill, but he couldn't get the ball out from under his feet and Puddy was able to pounce.
Salisbury came into the clash and showed some patient build-up as they looked to control the game. Their best early chance was a Chris McPhee shot from 20 yards which was high and wide of Danzelle St Louis-Hamilton's goal.
Neither side was able to get a stranglehold on the clash and Bakare had a half-chance when a Justin Miller long throw almost fell for him, but a defender was able to nick it off his foot just as he shaped for a volley.
At the other end, Mark Haines did well to block off Robert Matthews, before the best chance of the half fell to the Clarets' Bakare, but his well-struck shot was straight at Puddy and the keeper saved well with his feet.
And Chelmsford were indebted to St Louis-Hamilton two minutes before the break when he got down well to his right and tipped James White's shot around the post.
Salisbury came flying out of the blocks in the second half and Stuart Sinclair had efforts both wide and over before Bakare was played in by a fantastic through ball from Cook, but his right-foot shot whistled into the side netting.
McPhee fired a free-kick over the top, but the half became punctuated by a number of stoppages.
Bakare then missed another chance when he got on to a David Bridges ball and tried a lob over the advancing Puddy, but it dropped wide of the post, before lashing over when a throw found him at the back post.
The home crowd were becoming frustrated at a number of wasted balls, and Bakare pulled up chasing one through, clutching his hamstring.
But before a change could be made, there was a lengthy stoppage after Salisbury's James Clarke went down after a clash of heads.
He eventually walked off, and Donovan Simmonds replaced Bakare, and he brought a different dimension to the Clarets attack.
And a ball into the box was handled by Dutton, paving the way for Cook to step up and win the tie.
He could have created a second as well with a free-kick deep into stoppage time, but his tantalising ball across goal eluded all of his team-mates.
