Watching from the stands at Vale Park, the overriding feeling was disappointment for James Gibbons. In a decisive game in the race for League Two promotion in April, his Port Vale were beaten by Bristol Rovers. Gasheads were starting to believe and Vale were starting to fret.
Ultimately, everyone ended that season happy with Port Vale triumphing in the play-offs, but after Ryan Loft made sure of three precious points for the Gas, something stuck with Gibbons. "It looked like a good place to be," he says, recalling the connection that was apparent between the players and fans of a blue and white persuasion at full time.
"Watching that game for Port Vale, Rovers were the best team we played at Vale Park that season. Not many teams outplayed us at Vale Park last season, so it did stick with me.
"The fans who made the journey up made a big noise. I think there were 3,000 and when Lofty scored in the last minute to see the game off, there were scenes in the away end. The way the team celebrated, it looked like a good place to be and, obviously, they kicked on from that and ended up getting promotion."
A few weeks down the line, with Wembley memories made against Mansfield Town, Gibbons' was headed for a fresh start. Vale wanted to him to stay but a new challenge was enticing for the 24-year-old. His manager in the Potteries, Darrell Clarke, knows all about the allure of the Gas and he could not begrudge his exit.
"He was pleased for me when I signed here," Gibbons said. "He had nothing but good words to say about the club.
"He is arguably a legend at the club for what he did here and I’ve got nothing but admiration for Darrell Clarke and what he’s done. He was brilliant with me so the conversation wasn’t a salty one, it was a pat on the back and a thank-you for everything you’ve done.
"I thanked him for everything he’d done for me as a player and as a person and we wished each other all the best and we’ll see each other again."
The move to the Mem has not gone to plan for Gibbons yet, though. He showed signs of promise in pre-season and was part of a Rovers side that burst into life by thumping Burton Albion on the second weekend of the campaign.
But when he awoke on the following days, something did not feel right. There was pain that he did not notice at the Pirelli Stadium; medication to help with a knock from a week previously had masked a more serious injury that ultimately sidelined him until his return to action against Crystal Palace under-21s in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday.
"It was the most frustrating thing," he said. "The first game of the season, I thought I cracked my rib so I had a few painkillers for the game at Burton and I ended up with a little fracture in my foot that I didn’t know about until the Sunday or Monday.
"It’s one of those things in football that you’ve got to deal with and move on from. I’ve been working now for the past eight or nine weeks for moments like Tuesday getting back on the pitch, so hopefully, that will be the last injury I have this season.
"Sitting in the stands and watching the lads walk out into the atmosphere the fans create, there is probably nothing worse in football than being injured and in that situation, so I’m glad I’ve got myself back fit, got some minutes on Tuesday and I can be available for Saturday, ready for a packed out Mem."
With a series of defensive injuries leaving Barton's ranks bare, Gibbons' versatility has been sorely missed and his return helps cover multiple areas of the pitch. With the manager intent on playing a back three more often than not, Gibbons is a natural fit at right wing-back but at Vale he showed he can not only cover many positions but excel in them.
"I think it’s always good to play multiple positions because you need strings to your bow," he said. "If you can play either side as a full-back, you’ll do alright.
"There are going to be games where you can’t play in your favoured position and you’ve got to take one for the team and play out of position. It’s about being consistent with that.
"Locking down a first-team spot is what everybody wants to do, whether it be wing-back, right-back, as long as I’m in the team, I’m not really bothered. I said right wing-back was my preferred position last year, but I played 20-plus games at left wing-back and I played on the right side of a back three. I’m comfortable in all three of those positions."
A win over Cambridge United at the Mem on Saturday is the top priority for the Gas, who have gone more than 50 days since their last League One win against Oxford United in August. However, there are some more trivial matters to solve at The Quarters, too.
Having a (Lewis) Gibson and a Gibbons in the same defence when both identify as "Gibbo" is not ideal. It is not easy for reporters, either, when they have to decipher which Gibbo the manager is talking about in his press conference. In the eyes of Gibbons, there is only one Gibbo.
"I’m taking ownership of that, but the gaffer has worked with Lewis previously, so he was Gibbo to them but I’ve always been Gibbo growing up," he said. "It is an awkward one. The lads have been trying to call one of us Gibbsy but it hasn’t gone down well with either of us, so we’re going to stick to calling him Lewis and I’ll stick with Gibbo."
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