A microcosm of their season, Bristol Rovers overcame a nightmare start at Port Vale to surge to victory on Easter Monday, sending a resounding statement to their rivals in the League Two promotion race.
Jamie Proctor forced the hosts ahead at Vale Park, but Joey Barton's Gas reverted to type and delivered yet another fine response when faced with adversity. No wonder the manager was so eager to praise the character of his team above all their other qualities as fifth-placed Rovers closed to within two points of Vale in the final automatic promotion berth with the 3-1 triumph.
The goals came from three January signings with very different narratives. The great Geordie hope Elliot Anderson was able to bolster his rapidly-growing reputation with another excellent strike to equalise before the unsung hero James Connolly bagged his first professional goal to put Barton's Gas in the lead before the break.
Late in the day, it was Ryan Loft who got the third to wrap up the victory with a couple of minutes to spare. Months of frustration for the striker were banished with one brilliant finish that prompted a sea of limbs in a 2,222-strong away end.
Just three games remain this season but the Gas are poised to strike. Successive wins over the Easter weekend have punished slip-ups from their rivals in the play-off places and it has heaped pressure on Port Vale as the finish line nears.
While it would be foolish to say Rovers' ascent towards League One is inexorable, it is hard to see even league leaders and champions-elect Forest Green Rovers stopping them next Saturday if they can replicate this form.
Two signings that have transformed the season
Elliot Anderson, perhaps one of the best pure talents to wear the blue and white quarters in the past decade or two, dominates the agenda, but fellow January signing Connolly has been an equally important addition for the Gas. Together, those signings have helped to transform Rovers' season.
In Anderson, they have yet another match-winner in the ranks and he scored in the third game in succession on Monday. In Connolly, Barton and his staff made a low-key mid-season acquisition that has had an unforeseen transformative impact.
When he signed, he had played no senior games, there were no pictures of him in any of the major databases and the Gas had to hurry his announcement so he was able to play at Peterborough in the FA Cup. Under the radar, indeed.
Anderson is a special talent, with his ruthless left-footed finish to equalise at Vale Park once again exhibiting his superior quality, and he deserves every word of praise afforded him. He has improved an area of the pitch where Rovers were already strong, but the boy they called Beefy has helped to eradicate their biggest weakness.
When Connolly arrived, Rovers' defensive record was in a bad way. They had shipped 33 goals in 21 league games, a ratio that is never conducive to success. After an encouraging debut at Peterborough, there were a couple of red flags in the mistake he made at Swindon and the way he was outmuscled by Tyreece Simpson.
Clearly, though, he is a quick learner. Those experiences of struggle were so brief and he has been dependable for Barton since. He has proved to be an ideal partner for fellow 20-year-old Connor Taylor, too.
Since Connolly's debut, the goals conceded tally is 13 in 22 league games. Obviously, that is not all his own work, but he has been a huge part of Rovers' upturn.
He delivered another commanding defensive display under intense pressure amid the cacophonous atmosphere at Vale Park, capping it with his first goal in senior football by tucking away Antony Evans' cross from close range.
Barton will be pleased. He has made no secret that he wants more goals from his defenders, but he will be even more delighted by Connolly's defensive composure. He appears unflappable in this current vein of form, and while he may not have the inherent aerial dominance of his partner at the back, he wins more than his fair share of duels.
It says a lot Port Vale, backed by their biggest crowd for almost a decade, threw everything at Rovers, but the Gas were able to limit them to very few clear chances and James Belshaw had just one save to make after the opening goal.
Connolly has been hugely influential in Rovers' development from a leaky defence to a dominant rearguard that is giving them chances to win every game.
Captain fantastic
A rare 10/10 mark was dished out in the Bristol Live player ratings on Monday and Paul Coutts was the deserving recipient. A better performance from a holding midfielder in the fourth tier you will not see.
In a position where it can be hard for players to make a positive impression and it is occasionally said it they have had a good game if they go unnoticed (let's call it the Ed Upson paradox), Coutts shone at Vale Park.
First, when they needed a foothold in the game after an awful start, the Scotsman robbed possession deep into home territory and threaded a peerless pass into the path of Elliot Anderson for the equaliser in the 10th minute.
Then, from that moment, Coutts started to conduct proceedings as Rovers enjoyed greater control and took some sting out of the occasion. He seemed to never give the ball away while also providing the security Barton's young defence needed to get to the final whistle on a huge day in their season.
Rovers and their manager could ask nothing more from Coutts. He has been in superb form for a long time and he picked a perfect moment to deliver his best performance in the biggest game of the season so far.
The three crucial qualities
Barton said after this game he has an unwavering belief in this team for three reasons: Character, fitness and match-winning quality. All three were on show at Port Vale.
It is visible the work Tom Short and the conditioning staff have done with this squad to best prepare them for a gruelling 46-game campaign. That Rovers have entered the promotion race like a freight train making up for lost time speaks to the time and effort invested into developing deep reserves of endurance.
And it is plainly obvious Rovers have players capable of winning any game in this division all over the pitch and on the bench. Coutts, Anderson and Antony Evans all produced moments of high quality to put the Gas on course for victory at Vale Park.
But nothing was more important than the fortitude, resolve and belief that have been present all season, through the good days and the bad. At 1-0 down after 90 seconds, Rovers were in deep trouble and it looked like getting deeper as Vale went for the jugular.
But the Gas are not short in confidence right now. Usually, that has manifested in believing they will produce a moment of magic at the other end of the pitch to win a tight game, but on Monday they showed belief in their ability to weather a storm.
They did just that and then fought back to level terms. The Gas had rarely crossed halfway before they equalised, but the mental strength of Coutts and Anderson to remain composed with their respective pass and shot, rather than snatch at it, shows the frame of mind Rovers are in.
They may have been caught cold early doors, but like champion boxers, they rose from the canvas and played a bit of rope-a-dope before coming out the other side stronger and landing menacing blows of their own.
Loft's big moment
Two of Rovers' midseason moves have exceeded all expectations, as mentioned above. However, Gasheads have seen very little of Jon Nolan due to injury and Loft has not made the impact he'd have wanted since joining from Scunthorpe United in January.
The 24-year-old, who scored four goals for his previous employers in the first half of the season, had gone 10 appearances without a goal for the Gas and was struggling for chances in the team, missing out on a place on the bench at Tranmere Rovers last week.
However, as this column suggested on Saturday, the injury to Leon Clarke in the warm-up before the Good Friday win over Salford City could give Loft the opportunity he needed to kickstart his Gas career.
Just a few days later, he was the scorer of one of Rovers' most satisfying goals of the season. The late substitute peeled away from Connor Hall and bore down on goal after receiving Sam Finley's through ball, lifting the ball over Aidan Stone and into the net to clinch the points and spark wild celebrations in a packed away end.
It was just the moment Loft needed after a tricky start at Rovers, which has not been helped by one or two niggling injuries, and it was clear his teammates were made up for him.
There are few better ways to score your first Gas goal and Loft will be eager to kick on now he is off the mark.
Memories for life
Away days like this, with so much on the line and a storybook ending like Loft's clinching goal, don't come around very often. For some Gasheads of a younger vintage, it may be their best day out yet following the Gas.
That was certainly evident at the final whistle when some kids took their chances by hopping over the hoardings to try to claim the shirts of their heroes. One girl was lucky in her pursuit of Luca Hoole's jersey, while Barton and Finley also gave away tops to young Gasheads.
That is the territory Rovers are in. They have captured the imagination of thousands of people young and old and they are producing moments that will not be quickly forgotten. After a difficult two years on many levels, that is pretty special.
Particularly if Rovers do get over the line this season and return to the third tier, this game will go down as one of the "I was there" moments of the season.
Here is hoping for a few more before it is done.
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