Gillingham dropped their first points at home as they crashed to a 1-0 defeat against QPR.
A debatable goal from Marcus Bean was all that separated the two sides as Gillingham threw everything at the visitors in search of an equaliser.
The game started slowly as both teams battled for control of the midfield and cancelled each other out as both sides turned to a long ball game as neither created many chances.
The game exploded into action on the half-hour mark when Bean gave the visitors the lead in controversial circumstances.
QPR's first meaningful attack of the game resulted in the ball fizzing across a crowded box for former Brentford winger Martin Rowlands to fire the ball back into the six-yard box to Bean.
The midfielder's back-heel flick was parried at close range by Steve Banks and Bean looked to have poked the ball home with his hand. The protests from the Gillingham team were immediate and vocal, but did little to impress referee Thorpe.
Events looked to have evened themselves out when a clever back-heel from Paul Furlong sent Richard Johnson into the box and he was brought down by a clumsy challenge from Paul Smith. Again referee Thorpe waved away the protests.
The second half started as the first left off with both teams on the offensive. Gillingham went in search of the equaliser with renewed vigour and almost got level through Matt Jarvis.
He danced his way through the QPR defence only for his sweetly struck left-foot shot to be palmed around the post by the diving Chris Day.
Gillingham put constant pressure on the visitors goal as they went in search of the equaliser.
Their pressure almost told ten minutes after the break when Darren Byfield's shot was saved by Day only for Iwan Roberts to thump the rebound home. But his celebrations were cut short as the flag was raised for offside.
As the home side continued to press the visitors looked to hit back on the break. The closest they came was a long-range free-kick from Furlong, which Banks saved well.
Gillingham continued to press, but despite their effort and constant pressure throughout the dying minutes of the game, they could not earn a share of the points.