Stuart Nelson was Brentford's hero as he saved one and scored one as The Bees progressed 4-3 in a penalty shoot out in the Carling Cup first round against Swindon Town.
After a marvellous first 120 minutes which finished 2-2 Nelson saved brilliantly from Ashan Holgate in the shoot out and then stepped up to lash home and send Brentford through.
The Bees had looked in trouble in the shoot out when Sam Tillen fired the first Brentford penalty wide but when Curtis Weston blazed over for The Robins Thomas Pinault, Paul Brooker, Matt Heywood and, thrillingly, Nelson scored to put them through.
Penalties looked a long way off as The Bees had much the better of the first period and fully deserved to race into a two goal lead.
The first came inside ten minutes when a Brooker corner was nodded on by Heywood and Kevin O'Connor, who had spent a spell off the pitch with head knock, rose at the far post to loop a header in.
That lead should have lasted less than a minute when Fola Onibuje met an in swinging Aaron Brown free-kick but he headed straight at Nelson when anywhere else would have brought a goal.
Brown drilled a shot wide moments later and former Brentford captain Paul Evans also failed to hit the target with a long range effort.
They were made to pay for that when O'Connor and Brooker combined on the right and Brentford's current captain crossed low for Jo Kuffour to turn home at the near post.
Brentford were moving the ball beautifully and looked likely to score whenever they went forward but seven minutes before half time The Robins' pulled one back.
Brown's corner went across the six yard box and Andy Nicholas had no trouble rising at the far post to nod home.
They could even have been level before the interval but Onibuje blazed over the bar after nice work from Ricky Shakes and Holgate.
The second period took a while to come to life but when it did the action was breathless.
Kuffour started it when he linked well with Pinault and substitute Charlie Ide and fired a dipping half volley that landed just the wrong side of the post and soon after Swindon were level.
Brentford failed to clear the ball from their penalty area and it dropped to Evans 25 yards out who curled the ball with his left foot over Nelson and into the far corner.
He nearly created a third Robins' goal minutes later when Jerel Ifil forced Nelson into a low save from a whipped free-kick.
Swindon were by now camped in The Bees half, Nicholas had a shot deflected over from close range and Evans, who was bossing proceedings, fired wide.
Royce Brownlie could have won the game in the last minute when he met a Curtis Weston cross but fired narrowly over and there was still time for Karleigh Osborne, who replaced O'Connor at half time, to force Phil Smith into a low save at his near post after a fine surging run.
Brownlie later blotted his copybook by being sent off for two yellow cards in the space of ten seconds from the fussy referee Mr Williamson
Chances continued to come in extra time, Alex Rhodes headed another superb Evans corner off the line and Griffiths did the same from a Brownlie header while Kuffour had a volley deflected inches over the top.
Onibuje had the best chance to win the game before spot kicks when he fell over the ball and his own feet when in front of an unguarded goal.
But with no goal coming it took Nelson's heroics to decide it.
Swindon Town: P. Smith; J. Smith, Ifil, Nicholas, Vincent (sub Weston 44 mins); Shakes, Evans, Holgate, Brown (sub Caton 68 mins); Onibuje, Brownlie
Subs (not used): Pook, Jutkiewicz, Wells
Bookings: Onibuje (74 mins), Shakes (78 mins), J. Smith (113 mins), Ifil (117 mins), Brownlie (120 mins),
Sent Off: Brownlie (120 mins) (second yellow card)
Brentford: Nelson; O'Connor (sub Osborne h/t), Heywood, Griffiths, Tillen; Brooker, Mousinho, Pinault, Rhodes (sub Charles 111 mins); Kuffour, Moore (sub Ide 58 mins)
Subs (not used): Brown, Carder-Andrews
Bookings: Mousinho (18 mins), Ide (59 mins), Brooker (68 mins) (second of season), Griffiths (69 mins), Osborne (120 mins)
Attendance: 5,582
Written by Chris Wickham
