Drewe Broughton's man-of-the-match display helped Rotherham avoid a potential FA Cup banana skin by registering a 3-2 triumph at Wealdstone.
Rotherham drew first blood just after the hour when Wealdstone keeper Sean Thomas dawdled on a James Gray backpass and only succeeded in blasting the ball into the onrushing Adam Le Fondre and into the net.
And the visitors didn't have to wait long for a second when former Chester frontman Kevin Ellison hammered home a fantastic 25-yard strike a minute before the interval.
An all-action Wealdstone got themselves back into the game after 63 minutes when Ryan Ashe arrowed in a volley from the edge of the box. But the dream looked to be over when Broughton got the goal he deserved eight minutes from time with a well-taken glancing header.
Yet the Stones refused to lie down and after good work from substitute Danny Spendlove, Ashe notched his second of the game to set up a grandstand finish. Although despite piling on the pressure, Wealdstone couldn't find an equaliser.
Rotherham will now meet Rochdale or Luton in the second round, with the tie to take place over the weekend of November 28/29.
