Lewes extended their lead at the top of division one south to eight points after victory aover a resilient Croydon side.
Despite having the lion's share of possession in the first period, the Rooks failed to trouble Croydon keeper John Odlum and it took a controversial incident to break the deadlock on 62 minutes.
Rooks striker Mark Watson was felled in the box as he latched onto a poor backpass but the referee decided that Odlum had offended rather than one of his colleagues, and this led to a red card for the distraught keeper.
Lee Newman tucked away his 18th goal of the season from the spot but after Peter Adeniyi went close the visitors almost snatched a draw in the last minute of normal time when Marc Simms hit the bar.
Marc Whiteman added Lewes' second with the last kick of the game, a superb lob. It earned the Rooks a 12th consecutive home win.
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