It promised to be a frantic final day hoisting players up and down the Ashton Gate roof with Bristol City hoping to sign four players.
When the clock struck 11pm, two new faces came through the door including one of the coups of the transfer window following the arrival of Anis Mehmeti. His arrival alone will be regarded as a brilliant piece of business in the wake of Antoine Semenyo's move to Bournemouth.
Just to add the icing on the cake, City's forward options were further bolstered with the arrival of Luton's Harry Cornick with the club doing their best to tease supporters and journalists alike with the late announcement.
It could have been even better following a day of frantic and ultimately, frustrating negotiations, that ended with Bristol City failing to add two defenders to their ranks.
The ongoing saga of Jack Currie's future dominated much of the day with City lodging a total of four bids in total for AFC Wimbledon's 21-year-old left-back. Republic of Ireland youth international Jake O'Brien was also a target on an initial loan deal from Crystal Palace but the Premier League side wanted a loan fee that was deemed too expensive.
Either way, it was certainly more exciting than the previous two years and there's no doubt City head into the month of February full of confidence they can climb the table with a fresh injection of talent ready to hit the ground running.
The signing of the window?
Similar to the excitement and furore when Kane Wilson signed in the summer, Brian Tinnion, Richard Gould and perhaps some influence from new CEO and former Wycombe consultant Phil Alexander ensured City pulled a rabbit out of the hat with Mehmeti.
You only have to scroll through the comments from Wycombe supporters following the announcement of his departure to have some idea about the levels of talent he possesses. "This is the first one in a while that really hurts" wrote one fan while another added: "Booked the week off for bereavement."
Just 22, the attacking midfielder/winger has joined on a three-and-a-half-year deal after making a name for himself in Gareth Ainsworth's side after his arrival from Woodford Town in September 2020.
A player who likes to dominate the left-hand side, marauding infield and onto his right, he's scored nine and assisted three in the third tier this season but it's his influence and ability to conjure up a moment of magic that provides so much intrigue to his signing.
Replacing Semenyo was always going to be an extremely difficult ask. After all, he did move to the Premier League for a £10.5million (£9m initial plus add-ons) fee.
City matched Mehmeti's reported £1million release clause, a club-record fee for The Chairboys, while the deal also includes the potential for future payments depending on various landmarks reached in his career.
On the surface of it, he seems like the ideal fit to slot into that left attacking position in Nigel Pearson's 4-3-3 system. His pace allows him to adapt to City's fluid counter-attacking while he plays with a high intensity to hurry and harass defenders.
Pearson wanted a maverick in the summer and reinforced that message closer to the January window as he initially opened up the possibility of bringing Reda Khadra to the club. He's got his wish and Mehmeti is certainly a player who will keep him on his toes.
Wycombe player David Wheeler provided some insight into the type of player he is by writing on Twitter: "The hardest working young player I've seen in my time. This plus talent and remaining humble means it's not a surprise he has reached the level he has. Hope he smashes it! He deserves it."
He arrives at City wearing the No11 shirt with plans and his message to supporters is loud and clear. "I want to win and I want to get promoted. I want to impose my mentality and worth ethic and have an influence straight away."
Leaving it late...
City kept a few of us sweating with his announcement and refreshing Twitter up until the 11pm deadline but it was never in doubt Harry Cornick would become a Robin.
It's another exciting player on a three-and-a-half-year deal who, like Mehmeti, prides his game on covering every blade of grass and giving it his all. Cornick can play across the front three adding to the versatility and fluid dynamics of the strikeforce which promises to be an exciting watch between now and the end of the season.
Sam Bell, Tommy Conway, Nahki Wells, Mehmeti, Andi Weimann and a rejuvenated Mark Sykes will all be vying for those attacking positions when fully fit alongside Cornick which will provide a tantalising mixture of pace, energy, experience, youth and leadership.
In Cornick's first words as a City player, he hopes to bring 'a bit of enjoyment and fun - I want to get the fans out of their seats.' What position Pearson sees Cornick going forward will add a sense of intrigue but there's no doubt he adds to the superb number of options at the manager's disposal.
Bringing in Nik
Immediately after Bentley's departure was confirmed, City announced the arrival of Nikita Haikin on a free transfer. A shrewd piece of business to provide competition for Max O'Leary, the 27-year-old will be eager to impress and eye that No1 jersey in the future.
He may have to wait for his opportunity and with a contract until the end of the season, chances could be few and far between but when and if it arrives, he'll want to grab it with both hands (no pun intended).
Haikin arrives with experience of playing in the Europa League for Bodo/Glimt and a winner's mentality with two league titles to his name. Although relatively unknown, it's clear he is a keeper who likes to play with the ball at his feet with the confidence to play the ball out under pressure.
The departed
So that's five players to leave the club this month and crucially, that wage bill has been dramatically cut once again as progress continues to make the club more sustainably run.
Ryley Towler was the first to leave at the beginning of the month, joining Portsmouth for a low six-figure sum. An ever-popular local lad, his departure brought mixed emotions from supporters.
On the one hand, it's a superb move for the central defender and a real opportunity to advance his career when game time at City would have been few and far between. On the other hand, he has bags of potential and it will be interesting to determine whether or not City were hasty in selling him.
Dan Bentley then headed to Wolves on a permanent deal having entered the final six months of his contract. He was one of the highest-paid players in the squad following his move from Brentford in 2019.
Then Semenyo left and while it's always a bitter pill to swallow losing a player of his calibre, it was always going to be inevitable. City could have held out until the summer but with his contract expiring in the summer of 2024, there was the risk his value as going to depreciate.
Given his form with injuries in recent years, keeping him would have always proved a gamble in case he suffered another major set-back at the end of the season and therefore putting a high-profile transfer in doubt. Again, it's a move that can't be begrudged.
Semenyo achieves his ambitions of playing in the top flight, can enjoy a rather lucrative pay rise and City can balance the books by raking in a massive profit on a player they developed from the SGS College in 2017.
It was a rather sad end for Han-Noah Massengo whose departure to Auxerre was announced was overshadowed by City's FA Cup draw with Manchester City. It's an initial loan deal with the Ligue 1 strugglers that will take him up until the end of his Robins contract in the summer and ultimately depart.
As Pearson said, his downfall at City ultimately came down to opting against signing a contract and it's been a despairing season for the likeable 21-year-old who found himself featuring regularly with the Under-21s with little hope of coming back into the senior reckoning.
He was the most saleable asset six months and 12 months ago and the fact he'll be leaving for nothing except compensation is far from ideal but also an example of a situation they'll want to avoid in the future.
Then there's the mutual termination of both Timm Klose and Chris Martin's contracts. Two players who gave their all for the club but had struggled for form this season and ultimately fell out of favour this season.
Martin, in particular, departs leaving behind fond memories particularly against Cardiff with that brace at Ashton Gate just under a year ago. He's also the last player to score a penalty for the club in that 3-2 defeat to Coventry back in November 2021.
In conclusion
City may have failed to complete deals to sign Currie and O'Brien which in turn, meant Jay Dasilva missed out on a move to Coventry. That certainly isn't a bad thing though as he proved in the FA Cup victory on Saturday that he can still play a big part between now and the end of the season when his contract expires.
Currie, in particular, seems like a real shame and the player himself was really eager to make the switch to BS3 from AFC Wimbledon but his club stood firm. Whether City revisit that in the summer remains to be seen but it does emphasise the direction of recruitment the club are taking.
Then there's the small achievement of keeping a certain Alex Scott until the duration of the season. There was always going to be a concern that a Premier League club would come in with an offer City couldn't refuse but fans will have the pleasure of watching the England Under-20 youngsters for at least four more months.
All in all, it can be considered a very successful month in terms of incomings and outgoings. If we're being nitpicky, one could argue that central defence and defensive midfield still lacks depth, especially given the concerns over Tomas Kalas' fitness given he has yet to start a game this season. However, Zak Vyner and Rob Atkinson are proving to build a solid relationship.
Keeping Kal Naismith fit will be important given how he's grown into that deep midfield role. Andy King and Joe Williams on the bench can provide cover if he does endure a spell on the sidelines but Pearson will feel confident he has a squad size capable of improving in the final 18 league games of the campaign.
City have pocketed just over £9m (initially) in fees, reduced the wage bill and have spent a reported £1.3m on bringing three new players through the door, all of which strengthen the squad in their own ways. It also sets City up nicely for the summer where the recruitment drive to sign young, hungry players will continue so there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
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