City ran out 2-0 winners against Tranmere Rovers at Ashton Gate as both sides were reduced to ten men.
Danny Coles was the first to go for a last ditch tackle on teenager Chris Dagnall a few yards short of the box. The second half was seven minutes old at the time and City faced a hard battle to hold on to a narrow one goal lead.
But eight minutes later, Tranmere's captain Graham Allen was dismissed for a second booking, although neither challenge looked worthy of such a verdict.
Sussex referee Steve Tomlin had signalled from the start there was to be no leniency and at one point booked four home players in just over 12 minutes.
Since the opening day when these teams netted nine times between them goals have been hard to come by.
Rovers manager Ray Mathias took a big gamble to deal with Tranmere’s run of three games without a goal by giving 17-year-old Dagnall his first start alongside Simon Haworth.
The youngster won the first corner when a hopeful shot took a deflection but it was Howarth's experience which caused most problems for City's defence.
He picked up an early yellow card for unwisely carrying on an argument with the referee over a free kick, but once he settled down he had a thoroughly professional night.
After Scott Murray's departure for Reading, City have lacked a flank runner to get in behind defenders and his place on the right was filled here by Christian Roberts. He was up against Welshman Gareth Roberts and it was the defender who came out on top.
Christian Roberts, though, made the breakthrough midway through the opening half with a deep diagonal run.
A well judged ball found Aaron Brown homing in on the other flank to drive a low shot across the keeper John Achterberg and into the far corner.
The keeper must take some of the blame for the goal, but minutes later he successfully turned away a Roberts shot blasted at his top left corner.
The half ended with Allen lifting a Howarth header over the bar, but as City sought to impose themselves tensions were rippling beneath the surface.
The managers had a touchline spat over a throw in and the referee ordered City's Danny Wilson back to his dugout.
Between the sendings off, Wilson sacrificed striker Lee Miller for the physical presence of Clayton Fortune in his back four.
Brown had hit the post behind Achterberg's dive before Coles was red carded, but City wrapped up their win in the 76th minute.
With Tranmere looking for an offside ruling sub Lee Matthews ran clear on the left and the cross was knocked in by Lee Peacock for his seventh goal of the season.