As Joey Barton held an impromptu press conference in the corridor along from his manager’s office inside Bristol Rovers’ West Stand well over an hour on from securing the most surreal of final-day promotions, the sound of Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now thumping through the home dressing room walls, it was time to try to make sense of an absurd afternoon.
Perhaps Wael al-Qadi, Rovers’ Jordanian owner, put it best as he headed down the tunnel to join the party. “I have just witnessed a footballing miracle.” He had watched his team overhaul Northampton on goals scored to move into the division’s top three for first time this season with minutes of the campaign to spare.
