Striker Tony Naylor had his best game yet for Cheltenham Town in an eventful encounter at Whaddon Road.
The diminutive front-runner, whose improved performances have gone hand-in-hand with increased fitness, scored one goal, made numerous others and missed a penalty as Cheltenham overcame Lincoln in an entertaining match.
But it was not just about Naylor as the Robins produced some of their most imaginative football of the season to make it four wins from their last five Division Three games.
The Cheltenham starting line-up was the same as that which won 1-0 at Southend United last Friday evening, the only change to the squad being the inclusion of fit-again striker Neil Grayson on the substitutes bench.
Mark Yates was passed fit and showed no ill effects despite leaving the field against Southend with a sprained ankle.
The Robins took the initiative right from the start and almost took a ninth minute lead when Michael Duff headed a Russell Milton corner back across goal, Mark Yates had a shot blocked and then Naylor saw an effort deflected wide for another corner.
It was the first of several near-misses for the livewire striker, although ironically he played little part in the opening goal after 12 minutes. Neil Howarth made it by receiving the ball back from a throw-in down the right, skipping over a tackle and crossing for the unmarked Russell Milton to head past goalkeeper Alan Marriott.
Cheltenham put together a fine move only a minute later when Naylor combined with Milton and Julian Alsop to send Lee Howells clear but the ball ran away from him.
Howells then played Jamie Victory down the left with a delightful ball. Naylor met the defender's cross but once again the shot was blocked by a Lincoln shirt. The Robins appeared to have a strong case for a penalty when Alsop headed down for Howells and his shot looked to be blocked by a hand.
Naylor followed up for a shot from the rebound but once again he was out of luck.
Defender Steve Holmes made a superb goal-saving tackle on Yates after yet more skill from Naylor, this time a clever dummy from a Milton cross, and the little man must have felt the luck had deserted him for good seven minutes before the break.
Running onto a pass from Yates, he shimmied between two defenders and beat Marriott with a rolled shot that came back off the base of the post.
By then Lincoln had created their first two chances of the game when Ben Sedgemore shot weakly at Steve Book and Tony Battersby tried to do too much when clean through with only the goalkeeper to beat. He attempted to take the ball round Book but found himself forced out wide and the chance was gone.
Those chances apart it was Cheltenham who held the initiative for most of the first half and made their domination count two minutes after the break.
Again they used the width of the pitch well and this time it was Lee Williams on the right who began the move. His cross found its way right across the box to Milton and his shot was diverted into the net by Naylor.
It may not have been the most spectacular way to open his Cheltenham Town account but no-one could begrudge the former Crewe and Port Vale man a well-earned goal.
Milton saw a driven free-kick pushed wide by Marriott and Lincoln continued to offer little as an attacking force until a sudden goal out of nothing in the 63rd minute.
Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Kingsley Black made it for himself with a strong run into the heart of the Cheltenham defence and he side-stepped Chris Banks before driving a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.
At that point Lincoln were showing more spirit than at any other point in the match but striker Lee Thorpe did severe damage to their hopes by getting himself sent off nine minutes from time.
Thorpe had fallen foul of the referee on several occasions and his frustrations finally boiled over following a tangle with Chris Banks. Thorpe appeared to raise his arm against the Cheltenham defender and referee Paul Taylor produced a straight red card.
Still the drama was not over because Naylor's eventful evening was to take yet another twist. Milton put him clear with a pass from midfield, though he got injured in the process and had to leave the field, and Naylor charged into the box only to be brought down by substitute Grant Brown.
The long-serving Lincoln defender was fortunate to escape with a booking but Naylor wasted the penalty chance, failing to get enough power behind his shot and allowing Marriott to make a good save.
Lincoln pressed hard in the closing stages but Cheltenham held on to record their second home win of the season.
CHELTENHAM: Book; Howarth, M. Duff, Banks, Victory; Williams (Brough 90), Yates, Howells, Milton (Grayson 89); Alsop, Naylor (Devaney 90). Subs: Jackson, Muggleton.
LINCOLN: Marriott; Barnett, Holmes, Morgan, Bimson; Black, Sedgemore, Walker (Brown 46), Gain; Battersby (Cameron 67), Thorpe. Subs: Buckley, Horrigan, Mayo.
REFEREE: P. Taylor (Hertfordshire)
ATTENDANCE: 3,315